Project: Babysitting
by This Little Lady
Summary: Chap.18! Mimi is always happy to babysit for her friend's adorable babies. But two babies mean double the trouble, & Mimi needs help! Yamato Ishida comes to her rescue...but can she spend every minute of every day with him? Read & find out! COMPLETED!
1. Default Chapter

Hi everyone! This is the new story I was telling you all about. I got this idea from a book I was reading. Don't panic, though, coz I'll still be updating 'The Whole Package' every now & then…I just need to get this off my head, that's all. Hope you all like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Digimon characters. Everything in here is invented & fictional.

_**PROJECT: BABYSITTING**_

_**Chapter One**_

Mimi plunged her hands into the hot, soapy water for the last time & pulled the plug out of the drain. "There, that's the last of the dishes." She picked up a baby bottle which had tipped over & set it upside down to drain on one of the towels which lined the small counter.

From the dining table just outside the galley of the kitchen, Sora called, "Washing three days' worth of my dirty dishes wins you the friendship service medal, you know."

Mimi dried her hands, rolled down the sleeves of her silky blouse, & buttoned her cuffs. "Is that all I did?" She kept her voice light. "From the size of the pile, I expected it had taken a week to build up."

"For the average family of four, perhaps. But when you have two kids this size, dirty stuff piles up in a hurry."

Mimi paused in the doorway. Sora was sitting with her back to the kitchen, facing a pair of high chairs. In each chair was a dark-haired child, not quite a year old, each armed with a small, soft-tipped spoon & plastic bowl. The thick gooey, grayish, slimy-looking substance which had once been in the bowls was now spread liberally over the high-chair trays as well as the two cherubic faces, & a few lumps had landed on the plastic mat which covered the floor.

_All things considered,_ Mimi thought, _I got the best end of the deal by doing the dishes._

Sora's babies were adorable, no questions about it. But fond as Mimi was of Nikko & Ella, she didn't regret that her life had taken a different direction from Kari's. At least not very often.

"What is that stuff they're eating, really?" Mimi asked.

"Rice cereal mix with mashed pears."

Mimi wrinkled her nose. "It looks like old paste with mildew."

"Shh. They're very sensitive about other people's reactions to food. I mashed up some squash for them to try the other night. Tai took one look at it & made gagging noises...and the twins spit out every bit after that."

"Are you sure it was because of their dad? I mean, honestly, Sora…squash? They're only eleven months old. Not liking squash seems to be part of the deal."

"It's an excellent source of Vitamin A," Sora said firmly.

"I'm sure it is," Mimi nodded toward the twins. Nikko had cereal on his left eyebrow. Ella's chin was covered with half-dried paste. "Are they actually getting any of that stuff inside their mouth & swallow it?"

"Well, Ella's better at it than Nikko is," Sora admitted. "But Nikko's more determined to do it himself, so I have to sneak in an extra bite when he's not paying attention." She dipped a spoon into one of the bowls & inserted it into the boy's mouth while he was inspecting a lump of cereal that had stuck to his smallest finger. He swallowed absentmindedly & opened his mouth again.

"Want me to help?"

Sora smiled. "You don't really mean that. If you got cereal all over that expensive suit right before you go meet an important client, I'd feel awful. You've already done enough for one day, anyway, clearing up my dishes. Having a broken dishwasher & two babies does make life a little difficult."

Mimi pulled up a chair. "I know finances have been a bit tight for you & Tai lately," she said gently. "But it will have to be fixed before you can list the house for sale."

Sora nodded. "Matt's going to tear it apart when he has time & see if he can get the parts so he & Tai can get it running again."

"When he has time? I see." Mimi was proud of herself; her voice sounded absolutely neutral. "How's The Lone Repairer doing these days?"

Sora shot her a suspicious look. "Since when do you want to talk about Matt?"

"I was just making conversation. But if you don't want to talk about your husband's best friend…"

"I thought you might have run into him recently. He's working on a house up in the Warrington neighborhood, one of those huge mansions near the art museum. It's a big job."

"And that…plus all the ditzy fashion-model look-alikes who require his attention…is why your dishwasher is still broken."

"Well, I do wish he'd go out with someone whose IQ is larger than her dress size," Sora said. "But to be perfectly fair, my dishwasher isn't Matt's responsibility. He has his own place to keep up."

"I suppose when it's your full-time job to fix things, it's not much fun to do it on your day off, too."

"It would be sort of like asking you to go on a tour of homes for fun, after you've shown houses all week long."

"I happen to love home tours, but I see what you mean. It's too bad Tai didn't inherit handyman genes."

Sora sighed. "The poor man tries. He put up a towel rack in the bathroom last week."

"Without Matt supervising him? I'm amazed."

"Of course, it fell off three days later & tore a chunk out of the tile wall."

Mimi winced.

"At the rate we're going, we'll never get this house in shape to sell. Of course, if we can put it off till the kids go to college, we won't need to buy a bigger house at all. The next eighteen years will be something of a challenge, in a two-bedroom house with no playroom & a kitchen the size of a postage stamp, but…"

"This is a nice house, Sora."

"That's the real-estate person inside you talking."

"It's a cute little cottage with an efficient floor plan. For a young couple like you, this is a perfect starting home."

"Until they unexpectedly have twins." Sora spooned cereal into Ella's mouth. "By the way, Tai wanted me to ask you a favor."

Surprised tingled through Mimi's veins. It wasn't that she & Tai never talked, but it was generally Sora who issued invitations & arranged plan for the couple, while her husband was the quiet, always-agreeable one. For Tai to specifically ask Mimi for a favor was a bit…

Sora went on hastily, "I already told him it wouldn't work, but you know how guys can be…once they get an idea, there's no blasting it out of their heads. I had to promise him I'd ask, so I'm asking. But honestly, Meems, I've already told him you can't, so there's no problem."

"But maybe you should tell me what the favor actually is, honey? I mean, in case Tai should bring it up, it would help if I have a general idea." Mimi said cheerfully.

"Oh," Sora grinned. "I guess you're right. You see, there's this thing Tai has to attend next weekend. And he wants me to go with him."

"So you need a baby-sitter? What's the big deal? Of course I'll baby-sit…"

"It's a conference, Mimi. Sort of a continuing education seminar that goes on all weekend."

"Well, that does make a difference," Mimi admitted. "He actually wants you to hang around waiting for him while he's taking classes? I hope you can at least go shopping."

"It's on a cruise ship in the Caribbean." Sora sounded wistful. "But I've already told him I can't go."

Mimi stared at her. "Of course you can. Are you nuts, Sora? How many times do you get a free second honeymoon?"

"Well, it seems to be a great opportunity. But I called a couple of babysitting agencies & do you know what they charge a round-the-clock care for two babies for a weekend?" She shivered.

"I can imagine. So, Tai wanted you to ask me if I can look after the babies so you can go."

Sora nodded. "I know how busy you are…"

"You said its next weekend right?"

"A long weekend, actually. Friday morning to late Sunday night."

"I don't have any appointments scheduled over the weekend, so…"

"What about dates? Are you still seeing Joe?"

"Once in a while, it's no big deal." She saw Sora start to open her mouth & before she could get the chance to say something, Mimi continued. "All I have to do is clear my calendar for Friday."

"Mimi, please don't feel obligated to do this. Tai will understand that you can't do it. He's just disappointed right now."

"What about you?" Mimi asked gently. "Are you disappointed?"

Sora didn't look at her. "Of course I am. We could never afford a cruise on our own. But I'd probably be sea-sick anyway, so…"

"You're gonna start packing because you're going." Mimi picked up her jacket from the back of a chair. As she was putting it on, she looked past Sora to the twins & hesitated.

_Three days. Alone. With twins…_

"Wave bye-bye- to Aunt Mimi," Sora prompted the twins. Nikko was too absorbed in turning his bowl upside down to pay attention. Ella giggled, grinned, & waved her spoon in the air.

Sora sighed. "Are you sure about this?"

"Come on, Sora. You do this all the time. Surely I can handle it for three days."

**

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**

Mimi had taken care of the twins before & this would be no different…only longer. _Much_ longer, she realized on Saturday afternoon as she took the twins out of their stroller after a walk. She was exhausted because Nikko woke up at two in the morning with a nightmare & it took her an hour to get him back to sleep. And she hadn't even looked at the briefcase full of paperwork that she brought with her. And they were not quite halfway through the weekend.

What she failed to take into account was that the twins, at eleven months, were far more active & inquisitive than when they had been infants. Peek-a-boo & pat-a-cake were no longer exciting. Not only had they've been actively annoyed at being strapped into the double stroller, but they made it clear they were highly insulted when Mimi refused to let them kiss all the neighborhood dogs.

By the time she untangled Ella's safety harness & extracted her from the stroller, Nikko had already crawled into the narrow space between the couch & the recliner in pursuit of his ball, & got himself stuck.

Nikko started crying & Ella began howling in sympathy. Mimi was just drawing a breath & thought about joining them when she heard the back door open & a deep voice called, "Anybody home?"

She gritted her teeth. _Yamato Ishida. _The Lone Repairman had finally found time to look at Kari's broken-down dishwasher.

_Why right now?_ She wanted to shout. Why not last week, when Sora had been at home? Or if he absolutely had to come this weekend, why couldn't he have showed up last night after the twins had been bathed & tucked into their cribs?

Of course, by that time, she'd been practically be a zombie herself, with pureed peaches & baby shampoo down the front of her sweatshirt…not that Yamato Ishida would have cared what she looked like, anyway.

In the last two years, every time she'd ever come face to face with that man, he had acted as if he found her mildly interesting…she'd come to expect that no matter what she was doing or how she dressed, Matt would scan her with that same slightly ironic gleam in his eyes, looking her over just long enough to make her want to scream…and then, as if the sight of her bored him to tears, he would turn his attention to something else. Mimi would rather have him ignore her completely, but she supposed the chance of that happening was zero.

Of course, all things considered, she didn't exactly blame him for inspecting her as if she was a curious breed straight out of the zoo, because that was pretty much the way she acted the first time they spent any significant time together…though his own actions hadn't exactly won any etiquette prizes.

She sighed & reminded herself to be grateful that she didn't run into him more often. Once, every few months, was bad enough.

"In the living room, Matt." She stooped to extract Nikko from his predicament.

Matt came around the corner from the kitchen. "Mimi? What are you doing here?"

She snagged the back straps of Nikko's overalls & tugged him out from under the edge of the couch. "Didn't anybody tell you about the cruise?"

"Yeah, Tai said something. I forgot it was this weekend." He leaned against the stubby wall which separated the living room from the dining room, arms folded across his chest. "I wondered what they were going to do with the house apes. Nikko, buddy, you've got to remember how to get yourself into reverse."

Mimi finished wiping Nikko's tears & took a good look at Matt. It had been several months since she'd seen him…across a baptismal font where he'd been holding Nikko while she cradled Ella…but he matched the picture in her mind almost exactly. His blonde hair was longer than it had been at the babies' christening, and he was wearing jeans & a polo shirt instead of a suit. But he was every bit as tall & lean as she remembered, his eyes were just as stunningly blue, & his shoulders pushed the limits of the polo shirt. And the look…yes, there it was. Half-bemused, half-fascinated, & totally wary…the same expression that always made her want to scream.

Ella stopped crying, dropped to her hands & knees, and scrambled across the carpet toward her uncle. Matt picked her up almost absently, still looking at Mimi. "How's it going?"

She was darned if she'd admit that a few minutes ago, she'd been ready to cry along with the twins. "Great. We're doing fine."

"Uh-huh. How many times has Sora called?"

"From the ship? Just once, when they first got on board."

"That's amazing."

"She said she'd call back, but I heard Tai in the background reminding her that this was supposed to be a vacation. Anyway, she doesn't need to check in. She left a full list of instructions on the refrigerator door, right next to her appointment calendar."

"Her list actually fit on the refrigerator? I expected a whole volume…alphabetized & cross-indexed."

Mimi smiled. "Maybe she didn't have time to write it all down. But it doesn't take an instruction manual to know that these two need a nap right now. I was jut ready to put them to bed, so don't let me keep you from working on the dishwasher." She stepped closer to him, close enough to feel his warmth, & held out her free arm to take Ella.

The baby had nestled into Matt's shoulder & she didn't seem inclined to move. Mimi stroked the baby's back. As her finger tips neared Matt's forearm, braced under Ella's bottom, Mimi felt tingles run along every nerve.

_Don't be ridiculous,_ she told herself. _You've touched him before._

At least…well, she must have touched him somewhere along the way, even if she couldn't remember a specific occasion. When she stopped to think about it, she couldn't remember actually meeting Matt. He must have just been part of the crowd; at some party way back when Sora was dating Tai & Mimi herself had been engaged to Michael. Perhaps it had been about the same time the four of them had started to make plans for a double wedding…

Matt held the baby out so she could get a grip on Ella's waist. Mimi's hand brushed his arm & she jerked back a little before she got hold of herself & very deliberately let her arm rest against his while he transferred the baby's weight.

He didn't say anything & neither did she. And it was utterly ridiculous for her to feel breathless over such a small thing. But…maybe she hadn't ever touched him before because she'd have remembered that kind of smoldering heat.

**

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AN: What do you think? Should I continue this story? Your opinions are very important so don't forget to leave a review.

Chapter 2 will be posted soon! lol


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter two! This is a scene between our favorite couple, Matt & Mimi! Yay! You'll also find out some stuff about Mimi's past…just a tiny bit. Anyways, I'd really appreciate it if you guys leave some reviews.

_**Chapter Two**_

_Nonsense,_ she told herself briskly.

As if they were afraid of missing something exciting, the babies did their best to fight off sleep. Ultimately they succumbed, however, and Mimi tucked them into their side-by-side cribs & tiptoed out of the room.

The house was quiet except for the soft rock tune coming from the radio in the kitchen. The front panels of the dishwasher were propped against a cabinet door & Matt was lying on his back on the floor, peering into the dark cavity underneath the machine.

Mimi stopped in the doorway. "Have you found the problem?"

"Not yet. The drain's not clogged & the floats are working."

"Is that good news?"

"Nope, I've eliminated the simple stuff."

_This means he'll be around for a while longer._ _Just leave him to his work & get your briefcase, Mimi._ But she didn't move. "I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee. Want one?"

"Sure." He slid further under the dishwasher. "How are you, Mimi? It's been a while."

"Since we ran into each other, you mean?" She shrugged. "Three or four months, I guess."

"Three. It was at the christening & you were scandalized that Sora had asked me to be the babies' godfather."

Mimi didn't bother to argue the point. Instead, she stepped across him & started putting water into the coffeepot. "How's Amelia? Or was it Vanessa you brought that day? I get your girlfriends all mixed up."

Matt smiled, but he didn't answer. Mimi wondered if that meant he'd forgotten what the woman's name, too. All of Matt's girlfriends looked, sounded, or acted alike.

"How about you?" he asked. "Are you still seeing that stockbroker you brought to the christening?"

"He was a businessman," Mimi corrected. "And no, I'm not seeing him anymore, though there's a banker I'm going out with at the moment."

"What happened to the businessman? He was practically glued to your side that day."

Mimi had to think about it for a moment before she remembered. "I realized that if I wanted to get a play-by-play about the day's marketing trades, I could just read the business section of the newspaper…and just put it away when I got tired of reading."

He prodded at something deep under the machine. "What the…I hate working on antiques. I swear the motor's rusted into this thing. Being second-best never did appeal to you, did it, Mimi?"

She stopped spooning coffee into the filter & turned to stare at him. "Oh, now The Lone Repairer has expanded to psychology?"

He reached into the cavity with a pair of pliers & she heard a metallic snap. "Still touchy about the wedding, I see."

_Touchy._ That was one way to put it, she supposed. "It's been two years, Matt. I've put it behind me & gone with my life. So can you just forget it?"

He shook his head. "Of course not, that was one of the greatest dramatic scenes I've seen in my whole life. I'll never forget you telling Michael where to get off."

She plugged the coffeepot in & turned it on. "Next time I break an engagement," she said dryly, "I'll be sure to invite you."

"Don't bother. Nothing could ever top that one. Michael's already at the church, wearing his tux, boutonniere pinned in place, fussing with his hair & trying to cover up the signs of a really bad hang-over, and you come storming into the ushers' room wearing half a wedding dress & shrieking at him like a banshee. The costumes alone would have been worth the price of a ticket."

"I was _not_ shrieking. I was making a point."

"Not that you didn't have reason to shriek," Matt added. "Though I still think you went a little over the top when you started yelling at me just because I happen to be there to hear it all…"

"You could have let me know you were there, instead of hiding behind a pillar & listening to every word I said."

"And interrupted your train of though while you were on a roll?" He shook his head. "You were just lucky all the rest of the ushers stepped out for a breath of fresh air so I was the only witness." He sat up & reached inside the machine, grunting as he tried to lift out the motor unit. "I admire you for that you know."

Mimi was startled. "For what? Calling off my wedding because the groom spent the night before the ceremony carousing with a bunch of call girls?"

"I think they'd probably prefer to be called 'exotic dancers'."

Mimi shrugged. "Whatever! It's the same thing, as it turned out."

"Anyway, that's not the reason. I admire you for going in front of the crowd & facing the embarrassment because it was Tai & Sora's wedding day too, and you didn't want to ruin it for them just because you called off yours."

Mimi didn't understand why suddenly she felt numb. She bit her lip. "Thanks."

"Anytime." The motor twisted & Mimi heard a crack from somewhere deep inside the dishwasher. "I didn't like the sound of that," Matt muttered. "In fact, I think I may have found the problem. Or maybe I just created a new one. That's not my cell phone ringing, so it must be yours."

Mimi didn't even hear the buzz. That in itself was an indication of how badly the man go to her, she told herself as she retrieved the phone from her briefcase. "This is Mimi Tachikawa."

"Thank heaven. I thought you'd never answer." The voice was soft, feminine, & dripping with panic.

Mimi recognized it…Yolei was the youngest & least experienced member of the sales staff at the realty office. "What's wrong, Yolei?"

"The Tatsumoru's are here to make a counteroffer on the house they want to buy & I don't know what to do. Can you come in right away?"

With two babies asleep in the next room, it had been difficult enough to take them for a simple walk through the neighborhood. Hauling them out of bed & across town to meet with a pair of clients would be torture. Unless Matt would agree to keep an eye on them…

She looked over her shoulder & saw him putting the panels in place on the front of the dishwasher. _Maybe that isn't a great idea._

"Out of the question, Yolei." She ignored the woman's protest. "Their file is in my bottom desk drawer. The client number is on the tab of the folder. Pull it up on the computer, find the offer they made last week, put in the new price, print out the form, and have them both sign it." She glanced at her watch. "Then call the delivery service, have a courier bring the papers here & I'll check them over. Got it?"

Yolei repeated the instructions & address. "Okay," she said doubtfully. "If you're sure you can't come in."

"I'm sure," Mimi aid & snapped the phone shut. When she came back into the kitchen, matt was putting the last screw in place. "Is it all fixed?"

"Far from it, I have about fifteen pieces to replace…if the home-supply store has them."

"Then why put it all back together again when you have to take it apart later?"

"Because I don't want the twins to rearrange all the pretty wires."

"Oh, good point. You'll be back later then?"

"Probably tomorrow, I have an engagement tonight."

"With Vicky?" she kept her voice light, "or Yumi?"

"Neither, why?"

That figures. By now, Mimi thought, there could have been half a dozen more tall, slim girls in & out of his life. "Matt, you don't know the meaning of the word engagement."

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, princess…how many guys have you dated since Davis anyway?"

"A few," she said coolly. "Why?"

"Anybody whose lasted more than a month?"

"I don't think so." She kept her voice light. "But then by your standards, a month is an eternity, so you don't need to worry about me being fickle. I'll see you tomorrow, if you don't want that coffee after all."

He shook his head. "I'll take a rain check. You know, you look as if you could use a nap yourself instead of caffeine."

"I've got some work to do. I have a closing on Monday & a new client coming into town…so I need to refresh my memory of the listings before I decide what to show him."

"Him? I thought it was normally the woman who chooses the family home."

"Usually it's the wife who does most of the looking," Mimi agreed. "But this guy's single. Actually, I think he's divorced. He's an upper-level executive with the auto-assembly company."

"Now that sounds promising," Matt said. "If you're really lucky, maybe he'll be like the businessman…and you can find out every step to build a car."

**

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**

Mimi didn't know whether she was getting used to the routine, or the twins were accepting her, or they were all just too tired to make a fuss, but everything went a little smoothly on Sunday.

The babies already had their nap & were in their high chairs toying with their dinner when Matt arrived. He let himself in with a cheerful hello, set a large paper bag of parts on the kitchen counter & gave the coffeepot a speculative shake.

"If you're hoping to have that cup of coffee you missed yesterday, you're too late," Mimi said. "I kept it hot for you till just a couple of hours ago, though."

He made a face & started to take the bottom panel off the dishwasher again. "The truth is, you forgot to turn it off."

Mimi put another spoonful of peas & carrots in front of Nikko. With his index finger, he rolled a pea across the tray.

"How's it going today?" Matt asked.

"We're doing great, aren't we, kids?" Ella giggled. Nikko noticed remnants of carrots on his fingertip & tried to shake them off.

Matt slid under the dishwasher. "How long till Sora & Tai get home?"

"Six hours," Mimi answered automatically. Too late, she tried to bite back the words.

Matt was grinning. "I'm surprised you don't have it figured down to the last minute. So you want to tell me how you're really doing?"

Mimi sighed. "I missed the courier yesterday because I was in the middle of a diaper change when he rang the doorbell. I yelled but he couldn't hear me & I couldn't get there in time, so I have a counteroffer hanging in limbo because the papers are locked up in a delivery van till Monday."

"That's rotten luck."

"And this morning, Nikko was standing up in his crib when I went in…and the way his face crumpled when he realized that it was me again & not his mother almost broke my heart."

"Better you than a baby-sitter he doesn't know at all."

Mimi twisted around to look at him. "Don't you have any sympathy for the poor kid?"

"Of course I do. I'm just being more realistic than sentimental. It's good for them to get used to different people."

"Well, good luck convincing them." She added a few chunks of chicken to Ella's tray & handed the baby her cup of milk. "And while you're at it, try persuading Sora. Though she still hasn't called back." Mimi frowned. "Now that I think about it, it's still a little strange that I haven't heard from her."

"There hasn't been a word?"

Mimi shook her head. "Aren't phone calls from a cruise ship pretty pricy? Maybe Tai put his foot down."

"He could try, but I don't think that would stop Sora from calling to check her kids. Are you in the mood for a bet?"

"Tell me what it is first?"

"Whether Sora calls the minute they land at the airport, or she rushes straight home to her little darlings."

"She'll call," Mimi said promptly.

"I don't think so. If she calls, she'll be five minutes later getting here."

"It won't hold her up a bit because she'll send Tai after the car while she's on the phone. So the only question left is how much money you want to give me? Ella, smashed peas are not a good conditioner for your hair. Come on, sweetheart, let's go wash it out." She lifted Ella from her high chair. "Do you mind if I leave Nikko here for a minute, Matt? It's easier to wash them one at a time."

Matt waved a hand instead of answering.

When she came back, he turned the radio on & took the baby out of his high chair. Nikko had pulled himself up beside a dining room chair & was hanging on tight, swinging his bottom in an approximate rhythm with the music. Matt was on the floor, both hands out of sight underneath the dishwasher.

"Hold that bag down ere for a minute so I can sort through it, would you Mimi?"

She knelt down, holding the bag out of the babies' reach. "How are you doing?"

"So far I've managed to break another valve & increase Nikko's vocabulary by at least two words that Sora doesn't want him to know."

The music stopped & a newscast began, but Nikko danced on, too fascinated by his own movement to notice. Ella watched him as if she was studying each step. Matt sorted through pieces. And Mimi, half-listening to the newscast over the rattle of parts & the babbling of two babies, caught a few words that sent chill up her spine.

"_Cruise ship…Caribbean…virus…quarantine."_

She scrambled to her feet & made a dash for the living room.

"Hey," Matt called, "where are you going with my stuff?"

Mimi didn't bother to answer. She dropped the bag in the nearest chair & dived for the television remote control.

The story was on the third news channel she checked. A mysterious virus had struck a cruise ship in the Caribbean & public health officials were taking no chances. The ship & the two thousand people on board would be quarantined off the Hawaiian coast until the virus was identified & the passengers were confirmed not to be contagious.

It was the one Sora & Tai was on. "Oh no," she whispered. "All those poor people stuck on a ship with fevers & headaches…"

Matt stood in the doorway, listening intently. "At least it doesn't seem as though the symptoms are life threatening, just miserable."

"Somehow I don't think it would be a lot of comfort to know that you're not going to die," Mimi mused, "if you feel bad enough to want to. What a way to spend a vacation!"

"I wonder if Tai's boss will charge this up against his sick leave." Matt's voice was flippant, but there was a shadow in his eyes & a furrow between his brows.

"No wonder she hasn't called. There must be two thousand people waiting in line to use the phone."

"So we both lost the bet," Matt added, "because she won't be calling from the airport & she won't be coming home straight either. At least not tonight." He looked down at Mimi & raised one eyebrow. "Congratulations, Miss Tachikawa, you have just hit the jackpot! You are the lucky winner of twins."

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AN: You're probably wondering what Matt meant about that. Don't worry; the next chapter is the continuation of this scene. I thought that this chapter is long enough so I decided to cut it. Hehe!

PLEASE leave a REVIEW!

Chapter 3 will be posted soon! lol


	3. Chapter 3

Here's another M&M scene. I hope you guys like it, and don't forget to leave a review! By the way, does anybody here know what Davis' (aka Daisuke) last name is?

**LuCkyStaR17** – thanks for the review! Keep R&R! **Xymi Angel Ghost** – cool name! I'm glad you like it! **Angel** – wow! I'm so thrilled to know that you're reading this one too. I'll be updating The Whole Package soon. **Seal-chan** – I honestly don't know why I put Daisuke to be Mimi's ex-fiancé, so I changed Daisuke's character to Michael instead.

_**Chapter Three**_

Mimi stared at him. "What do you mean I won them?"

Matt shrugged. "I could have said you lost the lottery, but I thought it would make you feel better I f I put a positive spin on it. What I mean is, you get to keep the twins a while longer."

Mimi's head was spinning. "Oh, no."

"You're the one who volunteered for this responsibility," Matt pointed out.

"I said I'd take care of the babies for three days; Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. I'm…"

"Or until Sora gets home."

_And Sora didn't expect to be hit by a virus any more than I would expect to be struck by a lightning…_But what was she going to do about it? "I wasn't counting on this." Her voice felt feeble. "They could e delayed for a couple of days."

"Or more." Matt was looking at the television set.

Mimi followed his gaze. Someone from public health was showing off a chart of infection rates. The angle of the line tracing the increasing number of infected people aboard the ship looked like a rocket's path to the heavens. If her sales figures were to climb at that rate, Mimi thought, she'd be thrilled.

Trying to sound cheerful, she said, "The good news is that at this rate, the virus will have gotten to everybody on the ship by tomorrow. Once that happens, things can only get better, right?"

"That's what you call the good news?"

Mimi had to admit it didn't sound encouraging. "Look, I'm not trying to make light of the situation. I'm as worried about Sora & Tai as you are. But it looks like they've got the whole public health organization working on it…" Her words sounded hollow.

Poor Sora had been afraid that she might get seasick on the cruise. _Now there's irony for you,_ Mimi thought. Compared to the virus that was running wild on the ship, it sounded as if seasickness would be positively pleasant.

"No point in worrying. There's nothing we can do about Sora & Tai right now." Matt picked up the bag of parts & went back to the kitchen.

Mimi followed him hopefully.

Nikko had flopped down on the kitchen floor & was chewing the handle of a screwdriver. Matt took it away fro him & put it back in the toolbox over the counter. The baby howled & absently, Mimi picked him up & handed him a plastic cup from the cabinet and watched in disbelief as Matt snapped the toolbox closed.

"You're not leaving." It was half-question, half-plea. "Matt, I can't stay here till that ship's out of quarantine. I was supposed to go home tonight. I have a life, you know, & I already put it on hold for three days to do this."

"What are you planning to do with the twins then?"

Mimi opened her mouth to answer & shut it again. What on earth was she going to do with the twins? Much as she hated to face the fact, Matt was right…she had taken the responsibility & now it was up to her to make sure the babies were safe & taken care of, until their mother could take over once more. If she couldn't actually look after them herself, then she need to find someone who could. She looked speculatively at Matt.

"The way I see it," Matt said, "you can look for a baby-sitter…"

"Hire a stranger? Sora wouldn't like that."

He didn't seem to have heard her. "Or you can call child protective services & report that the babies are being neglected and have them put in foster care. Or you can just drop them off on a stranger's doorstep, ring the bell, & run."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Matt shrugged. "That's about all the options I can think of."

"Don't forget there's one more. I can hand them over to you since you're their godfather."

"Being a godparent has nothing to do with baby-sitting. It's purely a spiritual duty."

"Don't go getting sanctimonious on me now, Ishida."

"I wouldn't dream of trying. As I recall, you told Sora on the twins' christening day that I was a bad choice for the position of godfather because I wouldn't recognize a spiritual experience even if it hit me in the…"

"Yamato Ishida, do you ever do anything when you're in church besides eavesdrop?"

"So you admit telling her that."

"I may have," Mimi admitted. "I don't actually remember, but that's beside the point."

"In any case, you're their godmother, so the same argument applies to you."

"All right then, we'll leave god parenting out of it altogether. You're their uncle…I mean, you're close to being their uncle since you & Tai are almost like brothers. And that makes you the closest relative they have. So the bottom line is that you're the one who has to make the decision."

Matt's eyebrows rose slightly. "If it's my choice, then I choose you to keep them. You've been doing a fine job so far."

Mimi couldn't decide whether to scream or kick the nearest furniture. "I have a house sale closing tomorrow & I can't even change the time because too many people are involved. I can't find a sitter by tomorrow morning because I don't have the faintest idea where to find them. Matt, I'm begging. You have to help me out here."

"Why me? You signed up for this duty, not me."

"Because I can't take a set of year-old twins to a mortage closing, that's why!"

"Well, I can't just hang them from my tool belt while I rebuild Ms. Motomiya's closets either."

Mimi bit her lip. "I don't suppose you can. But surely you can put Ms. Motomiya's closets on hold for a day or two. At least till we find out what's going on on that ship."

"Obviously, you've never met Ms. Jun or else you wouldn't say that." He lowered himself to the floor & began to put the panels on the dishwasher once more.

_As soon as he finishes, he'll leave. You have to do something, Mimi…and fast._

She put Nikko down on the floor. "How about that cup of coffee, eh?"

"I expected better from you in the bribery department than that, Mimi."

"All right," she conceded. "I won't waste your time by making coffee."

"The truth is, there are so many dishes in the sink you couldn't get to the faucet to get water anyway."

Mimi ignored him. "Let's talk about this like adults. I can't miss that closing. If you'll just keep the twins' tomorrow morning…"

Matt was shaking his head.

"You won't even do that much? Just till noon." Mimi knew she sounded desperate, but she didn't care.

"I can't. I've got a supplier delivering a load of materials at eight o'clock in the morning."

Mimi chewed her lip. "Eight? My closing isn't till nine-thirty. Maybe we can work this out after all. Surely that gives you enough time."

"Depends on how fast the crew unloads. It's a big order, you know."

"Well, the closing is downtown. If I get the babies up in the morning while you go sign the receipt for your supplies, then I can swoop by & drop them off with you in Warrington…it's almost on my way…and I'll go straight to the closing. You can bring them back here &…"

His eyebrows rose. "How did you know I'm working in Warrington?"

"Sora told me." Mimi swallowed the last of her pride. "Matt, if you'll just help me out for a couple of hours in the morning, I swear I'll come straight back after the closing."

"What about your new client, the fancy executive at the auto company?"

For a moment there, she'd actually forgotten a client, something which had never happened before. _So it's not just an old wives' tale. Spending countless hours with babies really can turn your brain to mush._

"I wonder whether he likes kids," Matt mused.

Mimi gritted her teeth.

"If he's divorced, maybe he has children of his own. He might enjoy having the twins around. It's such a cozy little domestic image…you, him, & the babies, looking at houses…"

Mimi had no trouble creating that image in her mind. She sighed. "I guess someone else will have to show him around tomorrow."

"Hey, kids," Matt announced. "She's giving up the tycoon for you. Bet you're tickled to hear that."

Ella clapped her hands as if in delight. More likely, Mimi thought, the baby was pleased that she managed to pile all her plastic blocks into an unsteady tower. Now she was eyeing her brother's supply.

"Nobody else in the office could possibly be less prepared than I am," Mimi said almost to herself. "I haven't even glanced at the multiple listing all weekend. All right, that covers tomorrow." She rushed on before Matt could argue the point. "Now, about tonight…"

"What about it?" Matt sounded wary.

"I don't have any real clothes here, just jeans & stuff. I'm going to have to go home & get something to wear to the closing tomorrow."

"Do it in the morning."

"It's impossible to get all the way to my place & back downtown before nine-thirty. Not if I've got the twins because they move like molasses in the mornings."

"Then go shopping on your way."

"You can't be serious. Try on clothes with two babies in tow? Besides, the malls don't open that early. And in any case, you can't just go & buy a copy of that blue jacket we have to wear…the real-estate company has them specially tailored."

"Okay, okay, you made your point. Let's go."

For a moment, she was too thrilled at the hint of cooperation to take in what he said. Then it hit her. "What do you mean, _let's go_? It will take me about an hour. All you have to do while I'm gone is dunk the kids in the tub, put their pajamas on, & tuck them in."

"That's all." It was obviously not a question.

"Hey, I've been doing it all weekend & I've gotten pretty good at it, too." Mimi couldn't resist grinning. "You'll probably still be wrestling with diapers when I get back."

"I have a better idea; we'll all have an outing."

"You would actually drag two kids halfway across the city at this hour just so you don't have to give them a bath? Maybe it's just as well if you keep dating lame-brained girls, Matt. If you actually ever break down & marry one, maybe she'll be dumb enough not to notice that you're ducking all the work."

"I'm not ducking anything, Mimi. When we get back, we can both pitch in for the bath & pajamas, and we'll get it done in half the time."

Mimi doubted it, but at least he sounded willing to try. That made her even more suspicious of what he was really up to. She stared at him, eyes narrowed, & finally all the pieces clocked together in her mind. "You don't trust me to come back at all, do you?"

"Would you trust me, if you were I my shoes?"

"Probably not," Mimi admitted.

"Then we understand each other quite well."

She said carefully, "So you'll actually help me? All that protests earlier about not wanting to be involved…"

"Earlier, you weren't asking for help. You were trying to dump the whole mess on me."

_He was probably right_, she admitted. Relief surged through her.

"I'll pitch in, Mimi," he warned, "but don't get the idea that you're off the hook. Come on, let's get you some clothes."

**

* * *

**

Mimi had underestimated how long the trip would take. It took them almost two hours before Matt's SUV was back in the driveway. Ella was asleep in her car seat, Nikko was yawning, & she felt like falling into bed herself.

Matt carried Mimi's suitcase & Nikko, while Mimi nestled a sleeping Ella out of her seat.

"I don't care how grubby they are," Mimi said. "I don't even care how many of Sora's rules I've violated tonight. Let's just put them to bed in their clothes & I'll give them a bath tomorrow."

As soon as the twins were tucked in, she unpacked her suitcase, hoping that in her haste she managed to grab at least a few pieces of clothing that coordinated. Trying to suppress a yawn, she went back to the living room. tired or not, she still had to look over the paperwork for tomorrow morning's closing.

Though she wasn't surprised to be doing her review at the last minute, she hadn't anticipated these circumstances. By now, Sora & Tai should be driving home from the airport. Any minute, they should be pulling up beside the house, unloading bags & souvenirs, chattering happily about the flight & the cruise, exclaiming how much the kids have grown in just a few days…

_Don't let yourself start, Mimi._

The house was quiet. She looked around in surprise. Had Matt gone without even a word? He followed her out of the babies' room, but where had he gone then?

_He probably slipped out before I could think of any other favors to ask,_ she told herself dryly. Or perhaps someone was waiting for him. He hadn't mentioned another date, but that didn't mean he didn't have one.

She opened her briefcase & swore when the blinking green light on her cell phone caught her eye. The light meant she had voice mail waiting for her…probably from the courier service trying once more to deliver the paperwork on the Tatsumoru's counteroffer. That was yet another thing she'd have to deal with…or hand off to someone else…tomorrow morning.

She was truly off balance, she told herself, to have gone away & left her phone behind…and not even noticed that it wasn't in her pocket. _It figures_, she thought. The damned thing had rung only once all weekend, until she walked off without it…but now she probably had messages stacked to the ceiling.

She punched the code to retrieve her voice mail. There was only one message after all. That was a small blessing. Behind her, Matt said, "Give me your car keys so I can move the safety seats into your car."

That was sweet of him, thinking ahead to make the morning easier for her. Mimi dug in the side pocket of the briefcase for her keys, when she suddenly froze as the message started to play. "It's Sora," she said & held the phone at an angle so Matt could listen too.

The connection wasn't the best & there was so much background noise that it sounded as if Sora was calling from a New Year's Eve party. _"Mimi, where are you? You always answer your phone…oh, no, I hope that doesn't mean something's wrong with one of the babies. I only have a minute…there are people waiting, so I can't talk long. We're fine; we don't have this…stuff, this virus, whatever it is. But they're holding us prisoner even though we're perfectly healthy…oh, all right, Tai, I know my minute's up. Mimi, I'll try again when I can get back to a phone, but I don't know when that will be…you wouldn't believe the lines. I'm so sorry to do this to you. Kiss the babies for me & tell them Mommy wants to come home."_

The message clicked off & there was silence.

Mimi tried to blink back tears. "Oh, damn, I wish I'd been here. I could have told her I'll take care of the babies…"

"She knows," Matt's voice was little more than a whisper.

Only when she felt the warmth of his breath against her cheek did Mimi realized how close his face was to hers. It had seemed so natural to share the phone so he could also listen. So he could share right away in any news, rather than her having to relay it. To be close enough to lean on him, in case the news was bad. But now that they were practically cheek to cheek…She was almost breathless.

_Don't be ridiculous_, she told herself. _It isn't like there's anything romantic going on here._

Oh, there were plenty of sparks between her & Yamato Ishida, all right…there had been ever since that day at the church two years ago when she told Davis precisely why she wasn't going to marry him, and then she turned around to see Matt half hidden behind a pillar & drinking in every word she said as if it were a hundred-year-old scotch.

But the sparks weren't the starry-eyed kind. In fact, it's far from it. What the two of them created was the kind of grinding, crashing spark which flared when metal scraped against rock…and heaven help anything that got between them.

No, the reason she was feeling off-balance right now had nothing to do with Matt practically having an arm around her. She was just suffering from a sudden attack of sentimentality. Even if she expected that message from Sora, Mimi would never have anticipated how strongly affected she would be by simply hearing her friend's voice.

She snapped the phone closed & took a step away from him. "Well, at least we know that Sora & Tai are all right." She kept her voice cheerful. "That's good news. If they haven't gotten sick yet, they probably won't, & maybe they can leave the ship tomorrow." She dropped the phone back into her bag. "Oh, you wanted to shift the car seats."

Matt took the keys without a word.

**

* * *

**

AN: I know, you must be thinking that this is a little bit boring, but I assure you once you get the hang of it, it'll be interesting. By the way, does anybody here know what Davis' (aka Daisuke) last name is? His older sister, Jun, is in the story & I need to know what her last name is. If you happen to know it, please send me an email or just write it in your review.

Chapter 4 will be posted soon! PLEASE Review! lol


	4. Chapter 4

For those who are wondering why I'm asking for Daisuke's last name, it's because his sister, Jun, is in this story…don't worry, coz her character here is not the crazy, obsessed fan that's always chasing Matt…though she can be a bit annoying in here.

**Janay, Tierra, & Anarchy and Blood** – thanks a lot! You've been a great help! Keep R&R! **Dark's Assassin** – your name's so wicked! See ya around!

_**Chapter Four**_

Mimi pushed the high chairs aside & sat down at the dining room table with her papers. Though she didn't try to memorize the details of every transaction, she learned a long time ago that being able to explain each number, what it meant, & how it was calculated was almost certain to make the closing proceed more smoothly.

She flipped through the document & tried to page back to make a comparison, only to find the first sheet stuck on the table. How on earth, she wondered, had Nikko & Ella managed to spread their lunchtime applesauce on the table without her noticing?

Matt came back inside as she was prying the page loose. "Thanks for moving the seats," Mimi said. "I'm always afraid I won't get them in right."

"I didn't move them, I'll just take your car tonight & we'll swap back in the morning at Warrington. Got a scrap of paper?"

"What? You're taking my car?"

Matt shrugged. "I looked at the back seat & decided it's easier to move my tools than the safety seats. See you at Ms. Motomiya's in the morning." He scrawled an address at a scrap paper, dropped his key on the table, & was gone before she could say anything more.

"Nice guy," Mimi muttered. "He just drives off in my car without even asking whether I mind."

But the longer she thought about it, the more relieved she felt. Matt might be tempted to leave her stranded with two babies, but she was absolutely certain that he would never abandon her while she had possession of is SUV.

**

* * *

**

Matt caught himself checking his watch again. If Mimi was going to make it downtown on time, she'd better get her cute little tush…and his SUV…into gear. What was holding her up anyway, heavy traffic? Maybe he should have gotten those seats into the back of her car instead of expecting her to drive his. She wasn't used to a big vehicle…he knew that for a fact because he had to fold himself up to fit behind the wheel of her little BMW. After a couple of minutes, he saw his SUV pulling cautiously off the street. _About time she showed up._ Relieved, he walked down to meet her.

Mimi rolled the window down & leaned out. She was already wearing her standard-issue dark-blue jacket, with her engraved name badge clipped on the lapel. Her hair was in a knot held together with what looked to Matt like chopsticks. The sunlight made it look more auburn than it's usual brown, and the breeze caught a strand & whipped it around her face. She tucked it impatiently behind her ear.

"You're running late," Matt said. "I thought you might have had trouble finding the place."

She looked indignant. "For your information, I know every address in Warrington. I've sold a good number of these houses. In fact, see the one across the street? I've sold that one twice."

Matt couldn't resist asking. "Why? Weren't the first buyers happy with it after all?" He enjoyed watching her sputter for a few moments. "You can park over there, out of the way of the delivery truck." He pointed at a narrow strip of concrete between the garage & a row of ornamental evergreens.

Instead of putting the SUV into gear, she opened the door & slid out. "If you want it out of the way, _you_ park it. Driving your vehicle is like driving a bulldozer. Putting it in a compact space is something I don't even want to think about. Where's my car?"

"On the street, just around the corner & out of the path of the truck."

One of the babies wailed & Mimi looked over her shoulder, biting her lip.

"The other one will start up pretty quick," Matt said. "They probably think since they can't see you at the moment that you've disappeared forever. I'll get them out in a minute & they'll be fine."

"They're a little cranky." She sounded a bit cranky herself, he thought, but the expression in her big auburn eyes was almost pleading. "I finally had to wake them up or I'd never have made it. But there wasn't time to give them a bath, & they didn't want breakfast, so they'll no doubt be hungry in an hour or two."

"Oh, that's just great."

"Hey, I'm not the one who kept them up late last night," Mimi pointed out. "But I've already had to face the music. It's your turn now." She leaned into the SUV.

The tailored khaki skirt she was wearing molded themselves into a trim but nicely rounded bottom. Matt watched with appreciation until she turned around again.

She was holding not a baby, but only her briefcase. "See you in a couple of hours," she said. "Have a good time."

Both babies started to cry. Matt smothered a sigh & opened the back door of the SUV. "Don't worry," he called after Mimi. "I'll make sure they have a nap so when you get back, they'll be wide-awake & ready to entertain you!"

Mimi made a rude gesture with her finger over her shoulder & kept walking. He grinned & unlatched Nikko's safety belt.

"Sir." One of his crew was standing right behind him, clipboard in hand. "If you can come around to the site now, we're ready for you to inspect the materials & sign the receipt."

Matt sighed & reached across Nikko to lift Ella out. With a tearstained baby in each arm, he followed his crew around the corner of the house & past a trailer full of tools to the construction site.

At the back of the Mediterranean-style house, a new wing, half as nig as the original main floor, was taking shape. Half a dozen men were already at work, but the instant Matt came around the corner of the house with a baby in each arm, everything stopped while the men gaped at him.

His chief crew grinned. "What's that, boss, a couple of new trainees? Couldn't gat any with experience?"

Matt ignored him & made the rounds of the site, checking the counts & looking over the oak which the delivery men had piled inside the new rooms. One of the delivery man asked, "Do you need the replacements right away, or can we just put them on next week's load?"

"Next week will be fine."

"I'll make sure they get on the truck then. All right, if you'll just sign here…" The man looked uncertainly at Matt & the babies. "I mean…"

The twins probably didn't weight more than twenty pounds each, but their combined weight had left Matt's muscles aching. He thought about handing one of them to the delivery man, but as if she'd read his mind, Ella grumbled & nestled closer. As long as he kept a close eye on them, they'd be as safe on the ground as anywhere.

He squatted down & set them on the lawn. Nikko instantly grabbed a handful of trampled grass & put it in his mouth. Ella yelped, clutched at Matt's jeans, & tried to pull herself up to a standing position.

Matt signed the receipt, folded his copy & stuck it in his shirt pocket, and then he bent to pick up Nikko, who had green saliva trickling down his chin. "Come on, champ, spit it out," he ordered.

"And then we need you to move the SUV out of the driveway so we can get the truck out," the delivery man added.

_You can park over there, out of the way of the delivery truck_, he told Mimi. But she had refused to move the SUV, & he'd forgotten to. He smothered a groan, picked up the babies & hauled them back around to the front of the house.

_The hell with it_, he thought. It was only ten in the morning, but he might as well call it a day. He wasn't going to accomplish anything with a twin on each arm, anyway. And since he'd have to buckle them back in again so he could move the SUV, he might as well take them home where they could play in the grass without the risking splinters & stray roofing nails.

Only after he got them both settled in back the seat & slid behind the wheel did he realize that his key wasn't in the ignition switch. In fact, it was nowhere to be found.

**

* * *

**

As soon as the last papers were signed, Mimi stood up & started to briskly shake hands with the people all around. "What's your hurry, Mimi?" the banker asked. "I thought you & I would have lunch at that new little Country Club Plaza."

"It's much too early for lunch."

"Of course it is," he said gently. "I'll pick you up at the office later."

"Oh…I'm sorry, Joe, but I can't. I have a long list for today." The excuse sounded…and felt…a bit lame, but she didn't feel like explaining the twins & the cruise ship. "I'll call you later in the week," she added & gathered up her briefcase. Joe Jyou didn't look pleased, but he didn't argue.

The new homeowners had stopped on the sidewalk to wait for her, to thank her & invite her for dinner as soon as they got moved in. Mimi smiled vaguely & said she'd be in touch, and she practically ran to her car.

It had been locked while she was in the bank, of course, & the sunshine pouring through the glass had heated the leather of her seat till it was buttery soft & soothingly warm against her back, helping to relax the tension in her muscles. She also noticed that the heat seemed to have activated the scent of leather…and something else. Something clean scented, musky & vaguely familiar. It was Matt's aftershave. She wondered how long that aroma would linger in her car.

At the office, she gave the finished paperwork on the closing to Yolei to be filed, picked up her messages, & looked wearily at the courier package which had finally come full circle back to the office. She'd probably better deliver it in person rather than take a chance on another delay.

"Also, Izzy wants to see you," Yolei added. "He's in his office."

No doubt her fellow salesperson was going to rib her about the Tatsumoru's counteroffer, Mimi thought. Telling Izzy what really happened to sidetrack the courier package would only amuse him more.

Izzy was on the phone, so she started to walk on past his cubicle. But he beckoned her in & waved her to a chair while he ended his call. "It's an important day for, Mimi. I thought perhaps you'd like a hand to figure out strategy for Willis Harrison."

_The auto company tycoon_. At least it wasn't about the Tatsumorus. Not that Mimi was any happier to be talking to Izzy about Willis Harrison, especially since she couldn't stick around the office long enough today.

"It's nice of you to offer to help," she said. "As a matter of fact…"

"Oh, I'm happy to give you my advice," Izzy went on. "It's all in finding the right strategy, Mimi. You know, of course, that men look at houses differently than women do. Women will look at anything & everything which vaguely resembles their needs. They'll make a full-time job of house-hunting, while men want to look at just one place & be done with it."

Ordinarily, Mimi would have objected to the generalization, but today she didn't have any room to maneuver. Izzy might be a sexist jerk at times, but he was a good salesman…and he was in a position to bail her out of a jam.

_It's all in finding the right strategy, Mimi,_ she told herself. "You know, it's funny," she mused, "but I was just thinking about the same thing. The original call came to me because of the ordinary rotation, but I was wondering if Mr. Harrison would rather have a man show him around."

Izzy didn't react at all for a moment. Then he said, sounding wary, "That isn't like you, Mimi. Not grabbing a challenge…and the chance at a big commission."

Mimi tried to look innocent. "I just want to do what's best for the firm. You're right that this is a very important client, & I'd much rather have you make the sale…and get the commission…than for me to fall short & get nothing."

Izzy propped his elbows on the arms of his chair & clasped his hands together. "What's wrong with him, Mimi?" Suspicion dipped his voice.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. It's just that I've never met the man. I just thought you could probably read his reactions better than I could. You know, man to man."

Izzy hesitated then smiled slowly. "Well, that's certainly true. All right, I don't have anything better to do this afternoon. Which property were you going to show him first?"

"I haven't decided yet," Mimi said truthfully. She wasn't about to volunteer that she hadn't even started to make a list, much less prioritize it. "And I wouldn't want to cloud you judgment, anyways. Let me know how it goes, all right?" she dug into her briefcase for her car key, & pulled out two. One was hers, the other was Matt's. He was going to kill her.

**

* * *

**

It was just past noon when Mimi got back to house. The SUV was in the driveway & she breathed a sigh of relief…though he still almost tiptoed into the kitchen, wary fallout.

Matt was washing dishes while the twins played on the floor t his feet, creating a mad symphony with pan lids for cymbals & wooden spoons for drumsticks. He looked up when she came in, but he didn't comment.

Relieved, she set her briefcase on the counter & picked up a towel. "I guess the fact that you're here means you must have a spare key."

"Now I do," Matt said dryly.

Mimi bit her lip. "I'm really sorry. It's my habit not to leave a key in the ignition. Living in the city, driving in all kinds of neighborhood…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. You could have automatically locked the doors with the twins still inside," he said sarcastically as he rinsed the last plastic bowl.

Mimi looked at the pile. Sora had been right…it didn't take long to create a mountain of plate, glass & plastic. "Something tells me this is bad news for the dishwasher."

Matt nodded. "I was hoping I could substitute a new style of motor, but it's just too ancient to find one that will fit."

"Sora's not going to like that."

"It can't be helped. I'm going back to work, Mimi. The babies are all yours."

_All yours_. That sounded ominous. Was he planning to come back at all? He didn't promise anything beyond this morning… "Look, Matt, I said I'm sorry about the key."

"I know you are. By the way, the babies already had lunch."

"I can see that. I'm just surprised they'll eat spinach, if they won't touch squash."

Matt paused in mid-step. "Spinach?" He sounded as if he'd never heard of it before.

"Yeah." She gestured. "The green stains down the front of Nikko's shirt. I'm not complaining, mind you, but you might try a bib next time." She wanted to ask, _Is there going to be a next time?_

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind."

She followed him to the door. "Is there anything you'd like for dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"I thought maybe…I guess not." She fumbled for a change of subject. "That's some closet you're building for Ms. Motomiya."

He raised an eyebrow. "You saw it?"

"Of course, what do you think? As soon as I realized I had your key, I went straight back to Warrington to make sure you weren't stranded."

He looked at her for a long moment. "Anything's fine," he said quietly.

"What?"

"I'll eat anything for dinner, as long as it isn't mashed or pureed, or stuffed with spinach." Then he was gone, leaving her leaning against the counter, dishtowel in hand, & smiling.

_You're grinning like a fool,_ she told herself. What was so wonderful about it, anyways? She committed herself to cooking dinner for Matt. Never in her life had she thought of cooking for him.

But at least he was coming back.

**

* * *

**

AN: Once again, I'd like to thank the people who informed me about Daisuke's last name! Thanks guys! Don't forget to review!

Chapter 5 is coming up! lol


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones. I hope you like it! Enjoy reading!

_**Chapter Five**_

Her cell phone rang & Mimi fished it out of the pocket of her blue jacket & answered. For an instant, when she head Yolei's panic-stricken voice, she felt as though time had folded in on itself.

"It's Mr. Harrison," Yolei said.

The auto company tycoon. "Oh, Yolei, I'm sorry. I was in such a hurry to get out of the office this morning that I forgot to tell you that Izzy's taking over Mr. Harrison for me."

"Izzy told me."

"Well, then…" _So why are you calling me?_ "If you'll just send him back to see Izzy…"

"I tried," Yolei wailed. "I told him you were sorry you couldn't meet him & Izzy would be happy to help. He said he didn't want Izzy, that he talked to you & he didn't intend to start over with somebody else. I finally told him you went home with a headache this afternoon, & he said…"

"Stop & take a breath before you suffocate, Yolei. What did he say?"

"He said in that case, he'll come back tomorrow at ten o'clock sharp & he certainly hoped your headache would be better. Izzy's furious & the boss is starting to ask where you are…Mimi, you have to be here tomorrow. You just have to."

**

* * *

**

After working for hours, Mimi looked around the house. The living room was clean for the first time since Sora had left, with only a few toys still strewn on a blanket where the twins lay. Ella was sleepily chewing on the toe of her pajamas, while Nikko seemed to be studying how the light fixture which dangled above him was put together.

The dining room table was ready. It had taken a while to scrub all the applesauce off it & Sora's linen closet didn't seem to have tablecloths. But Mimi had found a couple of nice place mats with matching cloth napkins, & she pressed a big pottery bowl into service as a wine cooler. All that was left to do was light the candles.

In the kitchen, the aroma of dinner rolls & twice-baked potatoes wafted from the oven, & a pair of marinated steaks is waiting to be put on the grill.

By the simple…and somewhat desperate…method of putting the twins in the tub with her, Mimi had even managed a bath, & she was wearing a coordinated slacks & sweater set that fitted her curves naturally.

Everything was ready when she heard the SUV in the driveway & then the click of the back door as Matt came in. Mimi struck a match to light the candles, looked up at him over the flare & almost forgot to blow out the flame. He stopped dead in the doorway between the kitchen & the dining room to stare at her. Then, as if he couldn't bear to look at Mimi any longer, his gaze drifted over the burning candles, then at neatly-set table, the wine bottle, & back to Mimi's face.

Understanding dawned. "Hey, don't look at me as if I've suddenly sprouted horns," she protested. "Truly, I'm not treating this like some kind of a date."

She saw him swallow hard. "Of course you're not." His voice sounded a bit hoarse. "The candles, the wine…I'm sure you do all that every time you sit down for a sandwich…"

Mimi was starting to feel annoyed. "All right, maybe I went a little overboard, but I just thought we could have a nice dinner. That's all."

"What are we celebrating?"

"Getting through the day," Mimi snapped. "Isn't that enough?"

"Well, I'm glad to have that cleared up. It would have put me right off my food if I thought you were trying to seduce me."

"In your dreams, Ishida."

"Or possibly, my nightmares," he said sweetly. "So if this isn't some sort of a weird date, what is it? A public relations campaign for domestic bliss?"

"You're joking, right? I have better things to do than try to illustrate to you the benefits of settling down. I'll leave that thankless chore to Sora."

He seemed to relax. "I'm sure if that's what you had in mind, Mimi, you'd be more subtle about it than Sora is. But even if you have to admit that at a glance the picture looks pretty much like an ad for home sweet home."

He was right, as a matter of fact, Mimi realized. The twins…squeaky-clean, well-behaved, & looking like little angels. The candlelit table for two. The sensual aromas of sharp cheese, hot bread, & marinade…No wonder he'd gone pale, wondering what she was up to.

"Sorry to shake you up," she said. "I'm so used to adding touch here & there to show a house off and impress the prospective buyer that it just comes naturally to do things like fold the napkins into fancy shapes. I'll get out the paper plates if it'll make you feel better."

"To impress the prospective buyer," Matt mused. "And what exactly am I supposed to be buying?"

Mimi gave up. "It's no wonder you've never gotten married, Matt…you start running even when nobody's chasing you. The grill's already hot…just throw the steaks on, would you? I'll tuck the babies in & be right back."

Matt was opening the wine bottle when she came back. "What's wrong, Mimi?"

"I was just wondering again when Sora & Tai might be home. Did you happen to hear any news about the ship today?"

He shook his head.

"I tried to keep an eye on the television," Mimi said, "but I didn't see anything at all. It's weird how something can be a headline event one day, but it doesn't even matter the next."

"You must have been pretty busy all day, too." He handed her a glass. "How did you manage all this? You can't have gone to the supermarket."

"No," Mimi said gently, "I couldn't…because in your hurry to get to work, you forgot to take the car seats out of your SUV."

He winced, but his voice was casual. "Well, I guess between the key & the car seats, we're even. So if you couldn't go anywhere, how did you do all this?"

"Fortunately there are delivery services, & I raided Sora's cupboards for the rest."

"Or maybe I should ask I whyyou did all this?"

"Are we back to that again? I'm not trying to impress you with my domestic skills, Matt."

"No, I mean why didn't you just put out a plate & a knife & tell me to fix myself a peanut butter sandwich?"

She should have anticipated that question, Mimi realized. If she was mad at him about the car seats, why had she gone to all that trouble? She shrugged. "Well, I did invite you for dinner. And unlike you on the subject of your key, I just decided not to rub it in about the car seats."

"I'm glad you told me that you aren't making a big deal out of it," Matt said. "Other wise, I might not have noticed how nice you were being."

"Glad to help you out." She glanced at the clock above the sink. "If you like your steak rare, it's probably ready."

"I'll give it another minute, unless you prefer yours still cold in the center?"

She shook her head. "Medium for me." She got the salads out of the refrigerator & set them on the table. "I'm afraid we don't have much choice in salad dressing. Oil & vinegar, or the bottled stuff that was in the refrigerator? I forgot to put any on the list…not that I know what you like best, anyway."

"Oil & vinegar's fine." He got a plate from the cabinet & went out onto the deck, returning a couple of minutes later with two sizzling steaks. "I'll turn the grill off now, unless you're going to need it for bananas flambé or something."

Mimi's attention was on how to remove the twice-baked potatoes from the oven without upsetting them & squeezing all the stuffing out. "No, it's chocolate cheesecake for dessert," she said absently.

"You mean you even have dessert covered? Admit it, Mimi. You're buttering me up for something. Out with it."

Mimi sighed. She hoped to put it off a little longer, until h was well-fed & relaxed…but it was obvious Matt was reaching his limits. "Well, there _is _a little favor I need to ask."

"That's a relief?"

"It is?"

"Yes, at least now I know I'm not going crazy." He held a chair & sat down across from her.

Mimi picked up her glass. "To Tai & Sora…may they come home soon. Actually, this wine isn't bad for something the delivery man recommended."

"Let's get to the favor," Matt reminded.

Mimi shook out her napkin & picked up her fork. "It's about tomorrow, Matt. I did my best to clear my calendar, but it turns out I have t go to work after all."

"And you think I don't?"

"But you have a crew. They can keep right on building Ms. Motomiya's closets whether you're there to supervise or not."

"Let's not even go into that. What's so important about tomorrow?"

She was reluctant to tell him, & surprised by her hesitation. What difference did it make? It was a reasonable question, after all. "It's the tycoon, Willis Harrison."

"I thought you were sending someone else to show him houses."

"I tried, but he doesn't seem to want someone else."

He was looking doubtful.

Mimi started again. "It seems that he & Izzy didn't hit it off at all today, so he's coming back tomorrow to…"

"Izzy, huh? I wonder if he'd have been more adaptable if the substitute had been named Issa instead. Never mind. How much of your day is the tycoon planning to take up?"

_That sounds like a positive reaction,_ Mimi told herself hopefully. At least he didn't turn her down flat. The trouble was that Matt wasn't going to like the answer to his question. She supposed she could just blithely tell him it would only take an hour or two, & then hope like mad that Willis Harrison would fall in love with the first house she showed him…

No, it would be best to tell the truth & get it over with. "I have no idea, Matt. Probably the whole day. If I show him all the listings at the office, then I might only have to take him out to see three or four houses in person. But…"

"But each one will take an hour or two."

"Exactly."

"So you want me to take charge of the twins all day. Mimi, I can't work with both arms full."

"Well, neither can I. _You_ try opening an unfamiliar lock with a baby in each arm."

"Maybe your tycoon will be delighted at the opportunity to be a gentleman & open the doors for you."

"And maybe…" Mimi thought better of it & swallowed the rest of the sentence.

"How about taking their stroller? At least you wouldn't have to carry them."

"And take it in & out of the car at every house? Have you ever lifted that monster?"

"All right, bad idea, but at least once you're inside a house you can put them down & let them crawl…you don't have to carry them all the time."

"Oh, really? What if I put them down in some stranger's house & they pull over a vase & break it?"

"Better than breaking themselves. Do you have any idea how many dangerous spots there are on the job site?'

"So you take the stroller."

"And leave them in there all day?"

"Sure. They can nap, they can eat, they can observe…"

"They don't make hard hats that size."

"Oh, you're funny, Matt. Look, I'd be perfectly willing to pay a sitter. In fact, I tried to hire one…but I found out the hard way that the ones on Sora's list are all kids, so they're in school during the day." She took a bite off her steak. "And I can't bear to just dump the babies off with someone they've never seen before." _And neither can you. At least, I hope, you can't._

"So we split," Matt said.

"What are you talking about?"

"We each take a twin. With one arm free, you can open doors & point to special features, & I can draw diagrams & sign checks. Neither of us will be in top form, but we'll both at least be functional."

Mimi was aghast. "Take a baby with me while I show houses?"

Matt shrugged. "It's either take a baby with you, or take both of them. Your choice."

There was a note of finality in his voice that made Mimi bite her tongue. Inadequate as the arrangement was, it was obviously the best deal she was going to get, & if she kept arguing things would only get worse. "I'll take one," she said.

"Smart woman." Matt dipped his fork into his twice-baked potato. "Hey, this isn't bad, Mimi. I had no idea you can cook so well. I'll be happy to help you out anytime…you can bribe me whenever you want."

**

* * *

**

AN: For all those who are reading my first fic 'The Whole Package', I got great news for you…I've found my notebook, the one where I write my story, & I'll be updating chapter nine soon!

Don't forget to leave a review!

Chapter 6 is coming up! lol


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been busy with my other story, 'The Whole Package'. If you haven't read it, I definitely recommend that you should. My number one priority is to finish that one, but don't be too disappointed coz I'll still be updating this story every now & then.

_**Chapter Six**_

They moved into the living room with their coffee & chocolate cheesecake, so they could watch the television for any further information about the cruise ship & the mysterious virus that plagued it. Mimi pulled her feet up under her; propped herself up with sofa pillows, leaned her head against the back of the couch, & said, "Tell me about Ms. Motomiya."

Matt turned the volume down to a faint whisper. "Ms. Jun Motomiya? Why?"

"You told me you were rebuilding her closets. I though you meant you were putting in new shelves or something."

"That's how the project started out…a fairly minor remodel. She wanted to turn the small bedroom next to hers into a walk-in closet & dressing room."

"And she ended up with a whole new wing instead? Was that your idea or hers? Because if it was yours, Matt, you're wasted in construction. You should be selling office buildings."

Matt shook his head. "I just do what the customer wants."

"Even if it's impractical?"

"You don't get anywhere in this business by telling the customer what they _should_ want. That just makes them go hire a different contractor."

"But you don't get anywhere by giving them something they won't be happy with, either." Mimi sighed. "Do you remember when you asked me about that house across the street from Ms. Motomiya's & why I sold it twice? You were right, you know."

"About the original buyers not being happy with it?"

She nodded. "It was the first big piece of property I ever sold & I was so excited at putting the deal together that it didn't occur to me that this couple wasn't the Georgian-mansion type. It's a great house, but completely impractical for them."

"How long did it take them to figure it out?"

"About six weeks."

"Ouch."

"They didn't blame me, but I always felt I should have asked a few more questions. Made sure they didn't just jump into something without thinking it through."

"So you think Jun's new wing is impractical."

Mimi was startled. "Did I say that? I didn't mean to. I was speaking generally. If someone wanted you to build them a house that was half-Oriental & half-Tudor, would you do it?"

"I might try to nudge them toward on style or the other," Matt admitted. "I do have a reputation to protect."

"And you'd also discourage them because in the long run, they wouldn't be happy with the contrast & they'd never be able to sell it."

"Do you always think in terms of how hard something will be to sell?"

"Of course," Mimi said calmly. "I grew up with a dad who always talks about his business. And besides, a house is the biggest, most expensive single thing most people ever buy. It makes sense to consider what's going to happen when they don't want it anymore…whether that's next year or decades in the future. For instance, if instead of a ground-floor master suite, Ms. Jun was building an aviary so she could breed parrots & cockatoos…"

"Funny you should mention birds. If she had a hobby, maybe she wouldn't be watching like a hawk as every nail goes in. And she might even quit issuing change orders every twenty minutes."

Mimi giggled.

Matt stretched both arms out along the back of the couch. "So how do you know it's a master suite?"

"Well, you did say she started off wanting a new closet & a dressing room, so it seemed a reasonable assumption. Besides…" She shot a sidelong look at him. "I walked through it today."

"You just strolled in & looked around?"

"I was hunting for you," Mimi pointed out.

"Even though the SUV was gone?"

"I didn't know it was gone. You might have pushed it around the back of the house out of sight."

He grinned. "Your excuse doesn't hold water, Mimi."

"All right," she admitted. "I wanted to see what you were doing. I thought from what Sora told me that you were…" She stopped, just a little too late, & bit her lip.

"A sort of odd-job handyman."

Mimi was relieved that he didn't sound as if her misinformed opinion bothered him any. And why should it? Why would Yamato Ishida care what she thought he was?

"Well, yes, what do you call yourself, anyway?"

"General construction contractor."

"Well, that covers a multitude of sins. What exactly do you do?"

"My company builds houses, remodels kitchen, converts garages into offices, and turns warehouses into lofts. My ordinary crews handle most of the work, & if we get into something more specialized, we subcontract."

"I had no idea," Mimi admitted.

"Well, we could probably spend the whole evening talking about me, & vice versa."

He was right, of course, Mimi thought. Just because they cared about the same people didn't make them pals. They might have known each other for some time now, but in all those years they've never really been that close.

"Talking about our differences would certainly be more fun than watching the news channel…Look, there it is, the ship. And there's a number to call for information." Mimi sat up abruptly. Her foot slipped from under her, knocking the remote control off Matt's knee, & as they scrambled to get it under the coffee table, they bumped heads. By the time they were upright again, the story was over & the phone number disappeared,

Mimi groaned. "Did you catch any of that at all?"

"No, but surely they'll come back to it." he leaned back once more. "Why did you assume that we have nothing in common?"

"Hmm?"

"You seem to think if we compared our likes & dislikes that we'd find nothing but differences."

She picked up her pillows & settled back against the couch. "And you think we have something in common? All right, I'll play the game. What's your favorite music?"

"Rock."

"Classical, Pop, & RnB for me," Mimi said. "Food?"

"Steak. I've got you there, haven't I?"

"No, you don't. I chose steak because it was in Sora's freezer, & I had guessed that you're a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. I'm a seafood & salad person, myself. Way to work off stress? And I don't mean the sort of exercise that involves a woman."

Matt grinned. "In that case, playing my guitar."

Mimi made a face. "Too boring for me. I prefer window shopping at the mall, followed by a bubble bath. So far, you're zero for three. Sure you want to keep going?"

"Only if I get to ask the questions."

"But then you can lie about your answer in order to prove your point."

"And you haven't been doing that? Come on, Mimi. When I started your car last night, there was a rock CD in the player."

"It was a compilation of different songs, a friend gave…"

"Sora keeps mostly fish & chicken in her freezer, so you must have had dig in to find that steak. As for guitar & shopping…" He shrugged. "Okay, maybe we're different at that so I say it's two for three. Favorite hobby?"

"Painting," Mimi said firmly.

His eyes widened. "Really? I learned to love painting when I saw…uh…Del Venice's masterpiece &…"

She flung a pillow at him. "It would be more convincing to lie if you got your facts straight, Matt."

He took the cushion & handed it back. "All right, does it count if I'm willing to learn? You can teach me."

"Not me…I mean…" She caught herself. "I mean…I don't take students."

Matt was laughing. "What you mean is you were lying your head off."

"I wouldn't know anything about painting even if it bit me," Mimi admitted.

"Well, that's something we have in common." He sobered. "You're exhausted aren't you? Go to bed, Mimi. I'll sit here for a little while till the run the story again."

Mimi yawned. "Now who's sounding domestic?" She felt herself turn red. "Oh, no, that's not what I…"

"…meant to say. I know, now go get some sleep. I'll check on the babies before I go."

In the master bedroom, Mimi changed into her sweat pants & t-shirt, telling herself that her fashion choice had nothing to do with Matt still being in the house. It was just more practical to dress warmly. And if she needed to get up with the babies while Matt was still there…well, there was no sense in letting him suspect that she was trying to be seductive, when in fact it was the last thing she wanted.

_So if you haven't got seduction on the brain,_ a little voice whispered,_ why did the concept even cross your mind?_

How long was he going to stay, anyways? Until the station ran the story again, he said. But was that likely to be a few minutes, or a few hours?

She lay down on the bed, remembering the way Matt had stretched out both arms along the back of the couch, his muscles flexing. The back of her neck tingled, as if he was still close enough to touch her. The sole of her foot still felt warm from brushing against his knee as she had pushed herself up. And the top of her head throbbed where she bumped into him…though it wasn't a painful sort if throb but an excited one. She felt as if the room was spinning.

With the last of her energy, she pulled the comforter up over her. she wondered if he was still sitting out there, waiting for the story. Perhaps she should just peek out & see whether he'd gone. And if he hadn't…

_Mimi, you are losing it,_ she told herself firmly. She turned onto her side & pulled the comforter over her head.

**

* * *

**

Mimi woke with a sense of doom, feeling as if she missed something important…something along the lines of a college final or a job interview. She slept deeply, and if the twins had awakened in the night, she couldn't remember it. Maybe she was learning to sleepwalk.

Or maybe she just didn't hear them. She frowned at the bedroom door & chewed her lip. The door was closed, though she remembered leaving it half open so she could hear the twins more easily. Or was she remembering a previous night?

With Matt still sitting out in the living room, would she really have left her door open? Surely not…& it was just as well, too. She could imagine the reaction if he happened to see a half-open bedroom door. He'd probably think that she was hoping he'd come in…& then he'd no doubt start giving her that half-bemused, half-fascinated look again. The look which always made her want to scream.

The look, come to think of it, that she hadn't seen since he'd first shown up to work on the dishwasher on Saturday. _Don't get your hopes up, Mimi_, she told herself.

She heard Nikko & Ella chattering away, in the baby babble which she was only now starting to comprehend. But the sound wasn't coming from their bedroom. How had they gotten out of their cribs? What on earth were they doing…& why did they sound so happy about it?

Mimi took the corner into the dining room with her bare feet flapping on the hardwood floor & stopped dead. The babies were in their high chairs. Nikko banged his fists on the tray, Ella reached up to Mimi & uttered a nonsensical-sounding sentence, and Matt, who's standing in the kitchen, said, "How do we work this breakfast thing, kids?" he turned around to look at the twins as if he fully expected an answer, & focused on Mimi. "Hi, there."

"You're here early," Mimi said. She ran a hand over her hair. Not that it would do any good, she thought. She felt…and no doubt looked…as if she'd been on a binge the night before. But then, she realized, Matt looked a little rumpled himself.

"Not exactly."

She frowned. "You mean you just stayed?"

"Yeah, you'd only been gone ten minutes when the news story about the ship ran again, so I knocked on your door to tell you about it."

"I didn't hear you."

"That was obvious," he said dryly. "You were so far gone I thought it would be safer for everybody if I stuck around. So I sacked out on the couch."

"I don't know what to say." She moved past him & reached for the box of baby cereal.

Matt shrugged. "I'm just doing what's needed to be done."

"Thank you," Mimi said slowly. She handed him a bowl. "Stir this up, will you?"

He grabbed a spoon, pulled a chair around, & sat down in front of the high chairs. By the time Mimi finished mixing the second bowl of cereal, he was in a rhythm…a spoonful for each twin in turn.

"You're using the same spoon to feed them both?"

"It's efficient," Matt said. Besides, twins who chew on toys together share every germ together, so what's the difference? They're not complaining."

"Just don't let Sora catch you at it." she handed each of the twins a spoon.

"Go get dressed," Matt said. "We can handle this end. And I'll have to stop at home & get some clothes before I can go to the job sites, so I'd like to get going as soon as possible."

"Okay, if you're sure." Odd that he said _get some clothes_, rather than just _change clothes_, Mimi thought. Unless… She said slowly," What did the reports say about the ship?"

Matt didn't look up from the cereal-insertion assembly-line. "So far they've made no progress in figuring out what the virus is."

"Which means there's no end in sight?"

"That's pretty much the size of it. Do you want to pick your twin for the day, or flip a coin to see which one you take?"

**

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**

AN: So far, so good. Matt & Mimi are getting along quite well, don't you think? Chapter 7 will be up soon! Please review!

**Janay** – I'm really glad you like my story. You should also read 'The Whole Package', you might find it nice! **Just4reviews, Hesitate** – thanks! I'm glad you like it. **Dark's Assasin & Assasin's partner **– you guys are so cool! When I saw your name, I kinda thought that you two are related in some way…I'm really flattered that both of you like my story. Keep R&R!


	7. Chapter 7

I've read some really great reviews & I wanna thank you all for that. Most of you asked me to update soon, so here it is, chapter 7! Don't forget to review! Love you guys! lol

**Yen **- wow! Another new reader! Hope to hear from you more! Keep R&R!

_**Chapter Seven**_

Mimi parked on her reserved spot just outside the real-estate office & eyed Ella in her rearview mirror. The baby's eyelids were heavy & her head was drooping to one side of the padded car seat. "You must have had Matt up before the crack of dawn," Mimi said, "since you're almost asleep again now. I bet he liked that."

No matter how he felt about it, Mimi was certainly thankful he'd been there. How could she have slept so soundly that she hadn't even heard the twins wake up? It wasn't as if they were subtle about it…the moment their eyes popped open they started to babble, and the longer it took to get someone's attention the louder & higher-pitched the little voices became. She figured out after the second day that ell Ella wanted first thing in the morning was a dry diaper. Nikko, on the other hand, didn't care much about personal hygiene…he was simply afraid that something exciting might be going on outside his field of vision, so he was determined to get out where he could see it.

All for which meant that the pair of them were impossible to tune out. Yet Mimi had managed to disconnect her responsibility button completely last night. It frightened her to think what could have happened if Matt wasn't there.

There was a tap on the car window beside her. Mimi jumped & turned to see Izzy standing on the pavement, briefcase in hand, obviously…like her…on his way in to work.

She opened the door. "Good morning."

"Is it? I hadn't noticed. Is your headache better?"

From the tone of his voice, it was apparent that Izzy didn't believe she ever had a headache at all. Mimi didn't blame him. She made a mental note to talk to Yolei; if the young woman was going to start manufacturing excuses, they might as well be believable ones.

"I feel great. Look, I'm sorry about Mr. Harrison. I have no idea how he got this fixation on me. I've only talked to him once & that was on the phone."

"Well, next time you ask me to take over one of your clients, make sure it's somebody who actually wants to buy a house."

"What does that mean? He's moving here from New York City…of course he wants to buy a house."

"Then why didn't he want to talk to me?"

_Maybe he didn't like your attitude?_ "Perhaps he just has really bad judgment, Izzy, waiting for me when he could have had your full attention."

"Or perhaps he's just a tourist."

(A **tourist** – real-estate slang for someone whose hobby was looking at houses, soaking up the agent's time but not seriously interested in buying.)

"Would you give me a hand with my briefcase?"

"Why?" He sounded suspicious.

"Because I will have my hands full." She opened the back door & leaned in to unfasten Ella's safety harness. The baby grumbled something that sounded like "Kick" & tucked her head into Mimi's neck.

Izzy looked horrified. "What that?"

Mimi considered it playing almost straight…"_It's an immature specimen of female homo sapiens. I picked it up at the pet shop._" But she knew that wasn't really what Izzy was asking. She sighed, "It's a long story."

"Well, if you think I'm babysitting while you tour around Odaiba city with Willis Harrison…"

"It never would have occurred to me to ask," Mimi said truthfully. _In fact, I wouldn't dream of leaving a child in your care._

"Well, as long as we have that straight…" With a briefcase in each hand, he led the way to the door. Mimi balanced the baby on her hip, slung Ella's diaper bag over her shoulder, & followed. Izzy was standing beside the door, obviously waiting for her to open it. "I have my hands full," he quoted, sounding almost saintly.

Mimi bit her tongue to keep from pointing out the relative weight of their burdens & pulled the door open. _It's going to be a great day_, she told herself. But the words echoed hollowly in her head.

**

* * *

**

In the warehouse district not far from downtown, Matt noted the dark-blue car parked outside the two-story building which housed both his business office & his loft apartment, and swore. He hoped he could get upstairs to shower & shave before his secretary got to work, but the lights were already on in the office. And there was zero chance that Nora wouldn't have noticed when she came in that the SUV wasn't in its usual overnight parking spot.

He lifted Nikko out of the back seat, clamping the wiry little body under one arm because the kid insisted on squirming loose if held upright. His muscles protested every move. Sora could use a new couch as well as a dishwasher, he mused…one that was long enough for a guy to actually stretch out on.

Of course, last night it wouldn't have made much difference. With the sent of Mimi's perfume & the warmth of her body heat lingering on the cushions, he'd have been uncomfortable even if the couch had been the size of a basketball court. So much for the idea of sending her off to sleep would clear his head. All he accomplished was to free himself to think, once he didn't have to be on guard to argue with her.

He grabbed the duffle bag which Mimi had packed with everything she insisted he would need all day, & swore under his breath. What did she put in there, anyway? Bricks?

He pushed open the plate-glass door of his office with his shoulder & backed through. His secretary eyed him over her half-rimmed gold glasses. Then she lifted her pencil off the column of numbers she was adding, stuck it to the unswept gray hair above her right ear, & rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

Matt watched her for a moment, contemplating. It seemed to him that every woman past certain age dreamed of being a grandmother…and if she didn't have her own family to spoil, she'd coo over whichever babies happened to come along. Surely this particular woman was no exception to the rule. And Nikko couldn't be in safer hands than Nora's.

He decided it was worth a try. "Look what I brought you, Nora," he said cheerfully.

Her voice was dry. "I hope that means you have a box of chocolates tucked in the duffle bag."

"Nope, something a lot sweeter than that." He set the bag down & juggled Nikko into an upright position. "Hey, buddy, say hi to Nora."

"That's what I was afraid you meant. Where did the baby come form?"

"Nora, dear," Matt chided. "I never thought I'd have to explain the facts of life to y. He's not mine; I've just borrowed him for a while. I'd be willing to share."

"In other words, you're stuck with him & you're looking for a way out. This isn't my job description, you know."

"You can write yourself a glowing recommendation for your personnel life."

"Or I could just give my notice & retire. Oh, all right, give him here…as long as you don't mind if the month's invoices go out late." She pushed her chair back & came toward them, arms outstretched.

"You're a savior, Nora," Matt said. He started to hand the baby over, but Nikko had other ideas. He clung like an octopus, his sharp little fingernails digging ridges in Matt's neck. When Matt tried to detach him, the planted his tiny shoes firmly on Matt's belt & pushed himself upright. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Nora retreated, sitting down on the edge of her desk. "The young man seems to prefer you," she said pleasantly. "I don't know why, when you carry him around like a football."

Matt shot a disgusted look at her. "Hey, it's not our fault that females just don't understand how men think, right, Nikko?"

"I suppose there's no accounting for tastes," Nora mused.

Matt wasn't listening. "All right, buddy, we're in this together. Hey…ouch! Chill out, champ, or I'll put you in the duffle bag & zip it. You win, okay?"

Nikko stiffened & buried his face on Matt's shoulder. "And take your tongue out of your cheek, Nora." Matt started toward the stairs.

Nora held out a message slip. "Before you go, the foreman called from the Motomiya site this morning."

Matt glanced at the page & groaned. "What in the hell does she mean, she wants to move a window?"

"She said she couldn't live with that particular view," Nora said pleasantly.

"I hope he told her it was too late to change it."

"No, he thought that breaking the news was your job, as the boss."

"This was supposed to be a small project. Remodel her closets, she said. Put in a few shelves. At this rate, we'll still be tied up there five ears from now." He started for his office again.

"Maybe she just likes having a bunch of well-muscled men running in & out," Nora mused.

"The same way you do?"

"Absolutely, why do you think I keep coming to work despite you, anyway?"

Matt closed the office door behind him. He set Nikko on the floor, ignoring the baby's protest, dropped into his chair & dialed in Jun Motomiya's number.

A sultry voice answered with a trill.

"Miss Motomiya," he said.

"Matt, how nice of you to call back, but why must I keep asking you to call me Jun?"

_Because the last thing I want to do is encourage you._ "My foreman tells me there's some disagreement about a window."

"Well, yes. I walked in this morning to review the job & it suddenly hit me…that window overlooks my neighbor's back yard. From the inside of his pool, he could look straight into m new dressing room."

_Hang a curtain over it._ "Well, that's a big problem, Ms. Motomiya, because the wall around it is concrete."

"I know, & that's what made it so obvious."

"If you told me this a couple of weeks ago when we were still putting up the blocks, we might have been able to o something. Now…"

"But I didn't recognize the problem till this morning," she said sweetly. "You can fix it, though…right? I'm certain you can fix anything."

"I'm afraid I…" Something was nagging at the back of Matt's mind, distracting him. Suddenly he realized what it was. Nikko had gone quiet…too quiet.

He wheeled his chair around to see a small bump on the floor, draped in blueprints which had once been neatly rolled on the bottom shelf of the bookcase behind his desk. He made a grab for the roll & heard the sickening rip of paper…most of the drawings slid neatly off Nikko's head, but what Matt hadn't been able to see was that one corner was clamped between the baby's brand-new pearly white front teeth. The kid was chewing up the corner part of one blueprint.

The baby gave him a wet grin & pit out the scraps. "Peek," he said clearly. "Boo."

Matt swore.

"Excuse me?" Jun's voice was frosty. "I am not accustomed to hearing that sort of language from someone I'm doing business with.'

"Sorry," Matt said. "It wasn't you, it was…"

Nikko deprived his toy, crawled across the carpet, & pulled himself up using Matt's knee as a brace. He reached up to the desktop for the blueprint he'd been chewing & his flailing little hand hit the disconnect button on the phone. Suddenly Matt was talking to a dial tone.

"That does it, pal," Matt said. "Don't even ask, because there will be no summer internships around here for you." He punched in the number again & got only a busy signal. _Dammit._

He swept the baby & headed for the stairs. No time for a shower, but he could at least put on a fresh shirt & grab his razor so he could shave as he drove. "Nora, call Ms. Motomiya…& keep calling till you get through. Tell her I'm on my way over."

"You're headed the wrong direction," Nora pointed out.

_She could say that again_, Matt thought. He had a feeling that moving Jun Motomiya's window would be only the beginning of the apology he'd have to make.

**

* * *

**

At precisely ten o'clock, Mimi closed the multiple-listings book, took a long drink of her now-cold coffee, & surveyed the list of addresses she assembled…houses which might possibly suit Willis Harrison. There were twenty-three of them. It would take a week to show them all, so obviously she was going to have to cull the list somehow.

Voices approached her cubicle…Yolei's high-pitched near-giggle & a deeper, slightly nasal tone that Mimi remembered from talking to Willis Harrison on the phone. That was a good sign, she thought. He'd obviously arrived on the dot.

Mimi stood up to greet him & felt her jaw drop as he came around the corner. He was a little older than she expected, & he didn't at all look like her idea of a hard-driving top executive, but more like a movie star…thin, languid, graceful, world-weary, with smooth shiny blonde hair, & emerald eyes. She tried not to stare as she shook hands.

He didn't immediately let go of her hand. "Yes," he said. "You match your voice."

_And you don't,_ Mimi thought a bit wildly. But perhaps that was why he was in the auto industry instead of motion pictures…because they'd have to get someone to dub all his lines…

"I'm very pleased to meet you," she said, "and sorry about getting a delayed start because of my absence yesterday. I have a fairly large number of possibilities so I'd like to begin by getting a better idea of which features you consider absolutely necessary, so I can cut down the list. There's no sense in going to look at something if it obviously won't fit your needs."

"If you think I'd like it, Ms. Tachikawa…may I call you Mimi?...then I'll be happy to look it over. After all, I plan to live in this house for years. A few extra days to choose the correct one hardly seems unreasonable."

He was right, of course…though his timing could certainly have been a lot better. And she couldn't help but wonder if Izzy had been right when he called Willis Harrison a tourist.

"On the phone," she said firmly, "you mentioned needing a home office, of course, & a formal dining room for dinner parties, and at least three bedrooms."

He nodded.

"Is there a particular architectural style which you like? Or for that matter, one you hate?"

He shrugged. "Nothing that I can think of."

"Perhaps if you were to tell me about the kind of houses where you've lived before, & what you liked about them…"

"I've always lived in apartments, townhouses, & condos."

"Never in a house?" Mimi tried no to sigh. "You've never actually owned a property?"

"That's why I want one, you see."

Mimi gave up. "Then let's start by driving past some of the possibilities."

She pushed her chair back & reluctantly looked down at the blanket spread behind her desk. Ella had been asleep for half an hour…not long enough, in Mimi's experience, to take the edge off a cranky baby. But maybe she'd be lucky & the baby would sleep through being picked up & put in the car…

_And maybe,_ she told herself,_ some famous producer will come out from nowhere, & Willis Harrison will move to Hollywood instead of Japan and I won't have to find him a house after all._

But Mimi wasn't going to put any money on either bet.

**

* * *

**

AN: Do you guys know where I got the name _Willis Harrison_ from? I'll give you a clue, both of them are great actors & have been on many action movies. wink lol

Chapter 8 will be posted soon! Don't forget to review.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys! We're almost halfway through the story, and things are starting to heat up between Matt & Mimi. Thanks again for the reviews! Lol

**Janay** – I'm glad to hear you love my story! **Kaye** – now that's a great review! Thanks! Yeah, Nikko & Ella are angels, aren't they? Actually, both of them can say 'one' syllable words, but Nikko learned a really awesome word that you'll find pretty hilarious once he say it!...you'll be surprised to hear what it is. **Dark's Assassin** – CONGRATULATIONS! Since you got the right answer, you win the prize of…uh…well, reading another great chapter! Hehe! Enjoy!

_**Chapter Eight**_

It was dark when she dropped Willis at the real-estate office where he left his care all day, & for a couple of minutes she just sat in the parking lot, rolling her head to try to loosen the muscles in her neck. In eight hours she managed to change four diapers & feed Ella lunch & a snack, while showing six houses in six different neighborhoods and driving by seven more. If hadn't actually done it, she would have sworn it was impossible.

She gave up in the neck exercises & reached for her cell phone. Sora's home number rang & rang, and finally the answering machine kicked on. "Matt?" she said. "Are you there?"

Finally the phone clicked. "Yeah, what's up?"

Mimi tried not to let her relief show. "I was starting to wonder where you were."

"That makes two of us. I was under the dishwasher. Where have you been?"

"I thought you said the dishwasher was hopeless? Never mind, you can tell me later. I've been showing houses…what did you think I was doing?"

"I was starting to wonder if you'd gone out dancing with that tycoon."

"Well, he did invite me to dinner. You could have called my cell phone."

"I forgot to ask you for the number.'

"Oh…I guess that makes us even because I don't have yours either. Sora's phone list is posted on the refrigerator door."

"Perfectly sensible," Matt muttered. "Why hang it right next to the phone when it can be all the way across the room?"

"Ask Sora. Anyway, I thought I'd pick up a pizza. Is pepperoni & extra cheese all right with you?"

"My favorite, & you told me we didn't have anything in common…I thought the tycoon too you to dinner?"

"I said he invited me. I'll be home as soon as the pizza's done." Mimi clicked off the phone & sat still for a moment longer. _I'll be home_…It was a good thing Matt hadn't picked up on that little slip, or he'd be tying his jogging shoes right now in an effort to get away from the barest hint of domesticity.

If it hadn't been for the requirement of basic good manners, Mimi would have eaten her share of the pizza on the drive home. Even Ella seemed perk up at the sharp scent of pepperoni & cheese; the child who had gone as limp as a boneless chicken in protest at being taken in & out of her car seat all day was suddenly sitting up straight & sniffing hungrily.

"Don't get any ideas about snitching my pepperoni," Mimi said. "You're having spaghetti & meatballs, remember? You heard me order it."

She carried Ella into the house first & stopped dead just inside the back door. The galley kitchen was completely blocked, with the dishwasher sitting squarely in the center of the narrow walkway. She took a second look & saw hat there were now two dishwashers…the old one blocking the kitchen, & the new one which stuck halfway out the cabinets.

"Sora will love this setup," she said. "Having to climb over the dishwasher to get to the back door, I mean."

"Sorry," Matt sounded distracted, "I was going to take that out of the way before you got here."

"No problem, you can either let me hand Ella to you or go open the front door & I'll walk around."

He dusted his hands on his jeans & took the baby. Nikko came around the corner on hands & knees, and Ella leaned out of Matt's arms & shrieked, "Kick!"

Mimi snapped her fingers. "So that's what she means! She'd been saying it all day. I was starting to think I had a budding soccer star on my hands, when all she wanted was to know where her brother was." She looked pat Ella, who was hugging Nikko, & gasped.

A narrow read streak scarred the baby's face…running across his forehead, down one cheek, all the way to this chin. It looked as if he'd been slashed with a razor.

Mimi clutched her chest. "What happened to Nikko?"

"Don't panic, it's not permanent. Well, actually, it was a permanent marker he got hold of, but I'm sure it'll wash off sooner or late."

"You gave him a permanent marker to play with?"

"I certainly did not! And I didn't give him the brand new & expensive building permit that he scribbled all over, either."

Mimi winced. "I bet that hurt."

"He's lucky to be here. Between the building permit & the client he hung up on…"

Mimi put both hand up, palms out. "Hold the thought for a minute; I'm going after the pizza. I suspect I'm going to need fuel to listen to this story."

When she came up with the boxes, he shifted the dishwasher enough that she could squeeze by. She set the pizza on the counter, got two plates down from the cabinet, & opened the order of spaghetti and meatballs, cutting the meat into twin-sized bites. It was mindless chore & her attention drifted to a slip of paper on the counter. "I had no idea dishwashers cost that much," she said.

Matt shot her a sideways look & slid the receipt out from under the pizza box. It vanished into his pocket with the same smoothness that a magician would use to make a white rabbit disappear.

Thoughtfully, Mimi continued to mince the meatballs. "Did Sora call today?"

"No, why?"

"I thought maybe you'd have talked to her before you spent that much money on a new dishwasher."

Mimi thought for a minute that he wasn't going to answer at all, but finally Matt said, "I'm going to tell her it was left over from o job. Was the tycoon up to your expectations?"

"Oh, quite." She kept her tone airy.

"Then why didn't you go to dinner with him?"

She gave it up. "Because eight hours in one day is all I could take," she admitted.

"You do that a lot with guys, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the businessman bored you, & now the tycoon."

"There is no comparison. I have to listen to Willis Harrison. This reminds me…"

"I don't think I like the sound of this."

"About tomorrow, Matt…"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Not on you life, Mimi. One more day with Nikko in tow & I won't have a business left."

"No, no, it's only the evening. Willis has meetings all day."

"Wait a minute. I thought you weren't going out with him."

"I'm not, but we still have houses to look at."

"Eight hours & he couldn't find anything he liked?"

"Some people buy the first thing they look at. Others want to check out everything before they decide.'

_And some of them are more interested in looking than buying._ Mimi was beginning to think that Izzy has been right when he called Willis Harrison a tourist. Not that she'd admit it to Izzy…or for that matter, to Matt.

"If you'll keep the twins in the evening," she went on, "I can finish off the list with him. It won't take nearly as long if I'm not dragging Ella in & out of the car at every stop."

"Or trying to keep Nikko from eating grass," Matt said absently. "And then you'll be done?"

"For this round, anyway. He's flying back to New York Thursday morning." She set the twins' plate in the dining room & scooped up Nikko to put him in his high chair. "Matt, after the first couple of houses, he actually suggested that I just leave Ella sitting in the car while we looked around. Come on, I have to do this. Help me, please."

He captured Ella, who protested being picked up but sniffed thoughtfully as he set the plate of spaghetti on the tray in front of her. Mimi put a slice of pizza on a plate & handed it to Matt.

"On one condition," he said.

She paused in midmotion. "What's that?"

"Hey, you're not in much position to bargain, you know. After tomorrow, we both take the rest of the week off."

"So we don't have to juggle the babies? That's not a condition, Matt, that's a reward. I couldn't do that to Ella again; anyway…the poor kid was exhausted from getting in & out of the car all day."

"And you don't look so good, either."

"My back aches," Mimi admitted. "That's a pretty awkward angle to be lifting twenty pounds, especially when she doesn't want to be lifted."

He set the pizza down & moved around behind her, his hands warm against her shoulder blades. "Tell me where it hurts."

"All over."

He pulled out a chair. "Here, sit down backwards & fold your arms on the back. It's a pretty makeshift massage bench, but it works in a pinch."

Mimi sat down, propped her chin on her hands, & sagged. No wonder Ella had done the limp-chicken act, she thought…it felt good to pretend to be boneless. She noticed that Nikko had given up on his spoon & was feeding himself with his hands, but she couldn't muster up enough energy to care. In fact, now that he was half-covered in marinara sauce, the red marker hardly showed at all.

Matt used his thumbs to massage her spinal column & the flat of his hands to rub the sore spots across her shoulders. When he moved up to her neck, using his fingertips to work the muscles, Mimi groaned. He froze & she said, "Don't stop. That feels so good."

She lifted a hand & pulled the clip out of her hair, releasing the twist at the back of her head so he could more easily run his fingers over her scalp. "You're handy to have around, you know that?" she asked lazily. "You'd better watch out or some woman's going to try to keep you."

He stopped rubbing. For an instant, he was absolutely still. Mimi felt as if his fingers were electrical contacts & her scalp a transformer. _Idiot,_ she told herself. _Don't act domestic…even if it's the farthest thing from your mind, you can't afford for him to get the wrong idea. You need him. The kids need him._

Ad even though she'd like him to keep on rubbing her back for the next year, it was time to call a halt. She pushed herself up from the chair & turned with what she hoped was only a friendly smile. "Thanks, Matt. That felt wonderful. Hey, what happened to your neck?"

He ran a finger down his throat, tracing the scratch. "Nikko's making a point. It won't happen again, because I trimmed his fingernails while he was napping this afternoon."

"Good thinking." She got herself a piece of pizza & reached into the refrigerator for a soda. "Here's my cell number if you want it, by the way." She ran a finger down the phone list, looking for his, & knocked loose the magnet which held the list onto the refrigerator door. As she grabbed for the magnet, a slip of paper fluttered out of the calendar which was stuck up next to the list.

She muttered under her breath & picked it up form the floor. She actually stuck it back on the refrigerator before her tired brain registered what it was. "Oh, no," she whispered.

"What now?" Matt asked warily.

"Tomorrow's Wednesday the fifth…right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because this is an appointment card: _'Twins' portrait, Jensen Studio, Wednesday, September fifth, 10:00 a.m._" She looked up at Matt. "Now what do we do?"

Mimi was startled when Matt shrugged the problem off as no big deal. "Getting their picture taken can be the adventure of the day for the three of you," he said.

_It would be an adventure, all right_. Mimi's head was swimming at the very thought of dressing up two babies & getting them to sit up straight & smile…at the exact same moment the camera clicked.

"And with Nikko's face looking as if he's been slashed in a gang war," she said dryly, "I'm sure it'll be a portrait that Sora will want to hang over prominently over the fireplace, too."

Matt's forehead wrinkled. "What fireplace?"

"In their next house."

"They're looking for another house?"

"Stop changing the subject," Mimi ordered.

"I'm not even the one who brought up…oh, all right." He took a deep breath & blew it out with a whoosh. "I'd forgotten about Nikko's face," he admitted. "I guess I don't want that immortalized on film."

He looked sympathetic that Mimi forgave him. "If you can scrub him off before Sora gets home, she'll never have to know what happened."

The corner of his mouth turned up. "Are you offering to share secrets with me, Mimi?"

"No…I'm collecting blackmail material on you. Not that I think I'll have to keep that promise not to tell his mom because it would take sandpaper to clean him up enough to fool her."

Matt looked thoughtful. "What about one of those spa places? Somebody was telling me they promise to shave years from your age by taking off the top layer of skin. What do they call that? Skin peels?"

"Face peels." Mimi wondered which of the models would have been dumb enough to tell him about face peels. _Wrong question_, she thought. _Which one would be smart enough not to?_ "That would be worse than the sandpaper."

Matt looked a bit disappointed.

"Even if it wasn't for Nikko's face, though, we couldn't do it…I have no idea how Sora wants them dressed, or…" She saw him start to open his mouth & added, "Don't tell me one outfit is just as good as another, either, because it's not."

"You're the expert on making things look good, Mimi. Though I was just thinking we could leave him this way. By tomorrow morning, the spaghetti sauce will have hardened & it'll cover up everything underneath, so Sora would never know the difference. No? All right, call the studio & cancel the appointment."

"It's too late tonight. I'll call early in the morning." She looked at the card again. "I hope rescheduling is no big thing. This says Sora's already paid for the sitting."

"They must do it all the time," Matt said. "Would you stop worrying about it & help me excavate the kids from the spaghetti so you can give them a bath?"

"Why is the bath my job? I thought this was a partnership."

"I still have to finish the dishwasher. Unless of course, you want to walk around it all day tomorrow, or I can leave you the installation guide o you can…"

"Get to work," Mimi ordered.

**

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**

AN: I just finished typing chapter nine, & hopefully I'll be able to post it before Sunday. Don't forget to leave a review! Oh, by the way, the name **_Willis Harrison_** came from the names of Bruce WILLIS & HARRISON Ford, who are very good actors! Good job, **Dark's Assassin**! Watch out for the movie _"Sin City"_ everyone! lol


	9. Chapter 9

Here's another chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

**Dark's Assassin & Assassin's partner** – you guys are really great! thumb up **Kaye** – thanks for the great review! Keep R&R!

_**Chapter Nine**_

The only clean spots she could find on the babies were the seat of their pants & the small circle where their bibs had protected their shirts, so she filled the basin with cold water & started dumping every item of clothing in as she removed it. If she was lucky, the tomato stains would soak out.

She put Ella in the tub & chased Nikko down to strip off his tiny jeans, & her eyebrows raised at what she found underneath. By the time both babies were clean, diapered & pajama-clad, she was pretty well covered with tomato sauce herself, so she put on her sweats & dumped her tailored pinstriped shirt in the cold water as well. Then she had to pursue both the babies into the living room, where they scampered in order to avoid being put to bed.

"You'd increase your odds of success," she told them as she scooped them up, "if you went in opposite directions. On second thought, forget I said that."

By the time they were settled, Mimi felt as if the circus ring full of tigers would have been a much easier way to spend the evening.

Matt was lying on his back under the sink, doing something to the drain. The old dishwasher was gone from the center of the room, but everything Sora had stored in the cabinets was stacked together on the floor by the back door.

Mimi leaned against the counter & contemplated the mess. "I don't suppose you'd like to tell me why Nikko was wearing a strip of duct tape under his clothes."

"He was wiggling so much that I couldn't get his diaper on tight enough. So I pulled it apart to try again, & then the sticky tabs wouldn't work." He answered carelessly.

"So you patched his diaper together with duct tape?"

"It was the only thing I could reach at the time."

Mimi told herself not to ask, but the words came out anyway. "Do I want to know where you were doing this?"

"On a portable workbench and he was eyeing the router & a jigsaw & was trying to decided which one to grab first."

Mimi winced at the thought.

"Hey, it stayed on didn't it?" Matt pointed out.

"Yeah, in fact, it stayed on so well I had to find a pair of scissors to get it off."

"Don't blame me. They should make those fastener things stronger & stickier."

Mimi rolled her eyes.

"I stuck the pizza in the oven to warm it up."

In all the confusion, Mimi had almost forgotten the pizza & how hungry she'd been. In fact, she hadn't even managed a bite for herself. She picked up the can of soda she opened earlier & took a long drink. It was warm & flat, but she drank it anyway.

Matt twisted a handle under the sink. "If this connection just doesn't leak, the job's finished."

"Great timing," Mimi said. "I bet you've just been lying there taking it easy while I fought the battle of the bath."

"Want to switch places? It's not exactly a featherbed down here." she took a second look & decided that the cabinet's edge must be cutting painfully into his shoulder blades.

She shook her head & changed the subject in order to distract herself from the idea of Matt in a featherbed. "Sora will worship you for this. Tell me again how you're going to explain it to her."

"Why do you want to know?"

"So id don't slip up & give you away." Mimi's voice was tart. "Goodness knows you wouldn't want to get a reputation for generosity."

"No," Matt said softly. "What I don't want is to make Sora feel like a charity case."

Mimi bit her lip. She should have seen that herself, of course. Asking him to work on the dishwasher at all must have been difficult enough for Sora, but accepting the gift of a new one…admitting that she & Tai couldn't afford it on their own…would be more than she could bear.

"You actually expect her to believe that someone discarded a brad-new dishwasher?"

"_Almost_ brand-new, Mimi, I'll tell her we're installing a new kitchen in Mission hills…that one is true…and let her draw her own conclusions."

"Oh, in that case, she'll believe it," Mimi said. "I sold a house out there last year. It brought well over a million dollars, but the new owner never even went inside. He just sent in a bulldozer to knock it down so he could build the house he really wanted."

"Exactly, guys like that…or his wife…wouldn't think twice about discarding a dishwasher just because the buttons weren't in the right place."

A phone rang. Mimi reached for her pocket & remembered that she changed clothes & her phone was still in her jacket in the bedroom. "That must be yours. Want me to get it?"

"It's in my toolbox, if you'll hand it to me."

He couldn't make it plainer that he didn't want her to answer it. Well, that made sense, Mimi thought. It was probably one of his model girlfriends & he didn't want to explain why there was a woman answering his phone. _Like I'd want to chat with one of them_, she thought. She dug the phone out of the box & handed it over without a word.

"Yeah?" Matt said. "Well, not at the moment. Are you going to be at home? I'm in a bit of an awkward position right now."

Mimi wondered whether he meant the fact that he was lying under a sink, or that there was another woman in the room where she could listen to the conversation.

_Don't be silly,_ she told herself. _He wouldn't let your presence stop him from saying whatever he wanted because you don't begin to count as another woman in his eyes._

"Yeah, I had fun, too. Look, I'll call you later." Matt snapped the phone closed.

Mimi had to bite her tongue to keep from suggesting that…judging by the absent-minded tone of his voice…the occasion didn't sound as if it had been the world's most successful date. But commenting would only make it clear that she had indeed been listening, & perhaps leave the impression that she cared who he talked to & what he said.

So she stuck a fingernail under the label on the edge of the dishwasher door & pulled the corner loose. "If you're going to tell Sora that this isn't brand-new," she pointed out, "you might want o peel all the stickers off."

"Looks like you're doing fine with doing it." Matt hauled himself out from under the sink. "But hand me that wrench & I'll put a dent in the front panel just to make it more convincing."

"Let's not go to extremes.'

He grinned. "Then give me all the stuff from under the sink & I'll put it back in."

Mimi began passing him bins & buckets. When everything was stowed away once more, Matt stood up & stretched. "I'm glad to be out of there. Here's the real challenge." He started pushing buttons, & water surged into the dishwasher.

"Hey, why waste the opportunity?" Mimi waved a hand at the dishes stacked in the sink.

"I don't want to complicate things at the moment, just checking out the cycle. Besides, the pizza should be hot again by now. Let's eat."

**

* * *

**

The cheese had gone rubbery from being reheated & the crust was a bit limp, but it still tasted good. Mimi collapsed on the couch with a plat & put her feet up. Matt carried the pizza box in & sat down beside her.

"Are you ticklish?" he asked.

"What?"

"I was just continuing the likes & dislikes game, and I wondered if…"

"If I was ticklish, I wouldn't tell you."

"That must mean you are, because otherwise you'd have just said you weren't. so we both like pepperoni & we're both ticklish. And there's always your ex-fiancé," Matt added helpfully. "That's something we have in common."

Mimi couldn't help it. She let her eyes widen till they must look as if they were ready to pop out, & she forced a breathless note into her voice. "You mean…you were engaged to Michael, too? Matt, I had no idea you…"

"It's a shame I wasn't," he said lightly. "I'm not gay, Mimi! And besides, I'd have thought far enough ahead to keep the diamond ring instead of throwing it at him."

Mimi shrugged. She wasn't about to explain to Matt what she'd been thinking when she threw her engagement ring in Michael's face. For that matter, she wasn't sure she could explain it to herself…or even remember the details.

"What ever happened to him, anyway?" Matt asked.

"He moved to New York. At least, that's what one of the bridesmaids told me."

"He couldn't stand staying here, huh?"

Mimi remembered what Matt said about admiring her for facing the crowd on her wedding day, despite the embarrassment of admitting that she wasn't going to be married after all. "I don't think it was that because his friends thought he was pretty macho. For months I heard how unreasonable I was to hold it against him, how it wasn't his fault, that he didn't hire the call girls…oh, all right, exotic dancers…for the bachelor party."

"They just showed up?"

"It doesn't sound very likely, does it?" Idly, she rolled her slice of pizza up till it looked vaguely like an egg roll & nibbled the end of it. "Anyway, I gave the ring back because I didn't wasn't to keep anything that would remind me of him."

"That's a polite way to tell me to stop talking about it, right?"

"Congratulations! You win the grand prize…the last slice of pizza."

"You sure you don't want it?"

"I can't eat another thing. If you're finished playing with the dishwasher, I'll load it up & give it a real test."

"I'll get it later. Go to bed…you look tired."

**

* * *

**

Mimi couldn't decide whether to be grateful or insulted. As she was pulling back the comforter, she began to wonder how Matt had managed the night before. It must have been chilly out there, & since the little house had no official linen closet, the extra blankets & pillows were stored in the top of the closet in the master bedroom. She got out one of each & took them out to the living room.

From the kitchen she heard the rumble of Matt's voice, punctuated with the rattle of dishes. It was odd that she never noticed before how low, rich, & sexy his voice was. Strange how hearing someone, without being able to see them, made such a difference in perceptions…

Or maybe, she told herself, it wasn't odd at all. She hadn't noticed before because he probably only sounded that way when he was chatting up with Vicky or Sarah or whatever the current model's name was, & not when he talked to Mimi.

**

* * *

**

Though the pillow & blanket helped, Matt woke up again with a stiff neck & sore shoulder. In fact, every joint in his body felt absolutely creaky & he almost limped into the babies' room, where Nikko was lying on his tummy in his crib, yelping like a puppy & stretching one hand through the bars as far as he could in order to jab Ella awake.

"Knock it off, pal," Matt warned. "Take a lesson…waking a woman up in the morning before she'd ready is the worst single thing a guy can do."

Nikko giggled happily & pulled himself up till he was standing in his crib.

"And that comes from somebody who knows what he's talking about," Mimi added from behind him. "though his experience may only apply to models."

Matt glanced over his shoulder. She was still wearing her sweats, there wasn't a drop of makeup on her face, & she pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail. She looked about sixteen. "Is that an offer? Because…in the name of science…I should take any opportunity for further study in order to test my hypothesis."

She tipped her head to one side & studied him. "Sure," she said. "When you wake up tomorrow morning…on the couch…pop on in & see whether I bite your head off. In the meantime, I'll leave you two gentlemen to theorize about it."

"She doesn't sound sixteen, does she?" Matt asked, under his breath. Nikko giggled & held up his arms to be lifted out of the crib.

When Matt reached the kitchen, carrying a baby under each arm, Mimi was pacing the floor with the phone tucked under her chin.

"I understand that you have a policy," she said & it was apparent to Matt that she was holding on to her temper with a leash. "I'm telling you that no matter what your policy is, it's impossible for us to keep the appointment this morning. We're talking about babies here. Children get sick, they get hurt…" She stopped pacing & closed her eyes, listening. "No, not sick exactly, but…"

Matt stopped listening & started mixing cereal. He was feeding the babies by the time Mimi put the phone down with a bang. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," she stormed. "How they can stay in business wit that policy is beyond me."

"No changes, no refunds?" Matt guessed.

She made a whiny, nasal tone. "_We never give refunds. We can schedule a later date if you're willing to pay a second fee, but we only change an appointment without charge if we're given at least a day's notice. That's because if someone cancels at the last moment like this, we can't fill that slot again. _Can you believe it?"

Matt handed her a spoon. "Make yourself useful."

Mechanically, she began feeding Ella. "It's not a bad business plan, you know…collect the full fee but don't do the work. You wouldn't even need to own a camera, just hire a snippy little receptionist & teach her to keep saying _'time is money'_ till the customer either screams or gives up."

"This must mean you're not giving up, because you were certainly screaming."

"I do not scream on the phone," Mimi said with dignity. "Honestly, how do they get by with this? Where would I be if I charged people when they didn't show up for their appointments to look at houses? Where would you be if you charged potential clients for every job you estimated but couldn't actually get?"

"You mean, besides being a lot richer?"

"From the fees, maybe…if we could collect them, but we'd both be without a single real customer." She slammed the spoon down on the high chair tray. Ella jumped & looked at her wide-eyed. "That's it! I'm going over there to give them a piece of my mind."

"Forget it, Mimi. How much can another sitting cost? It's worth the price not to have to dress up two kids & get all the way over to the mall by ten o'clock."

"It's not the money, it's the principle. Besides, the studio is at the mall & there's a supermarket right there…I can pick up the groceries we need, too." She was still talking to herself as she went off toward the bedroom.

"Whoops," Matt said. _Time for some fast action._ He snatched the spoons from the babies' hands & set them aside, reaching for a washcloth instead. Ella, who had her mouth open for the next bite, gave an unhappy little yowl as he picked her up.

He was in the babies' room when Mimi came out in jeans & a sweater, tucking her wallet & cell phone into her pockets. "I'll be back just as soon as I can, so I won't hold you up from going to work." She paused. "What are you doing?"

Matt fitted a small arm into a sleeve & said, "I'm getting the babies ready to go with you."

"I'm not taking the babies. That's…"

"The only way you'll probably convince the receptionist, or her boss, to give you a break."

"I suppose you're right," she said slowly.

"Of course I'm right, there's no point in pushing it. Let them be stubborn & lose customers. What difference does it make to you?"

Mimi shook her head. "I feel very strongly about this. They're taking advantage of people like Sora & I don't like it."

"Okay," Matt aid & picked up a tiny pair of denim overalls. "It's your funeral, though, because the twins didn't finish breakfast."

He thought she looked a little doubtful at that news, but then her perfect little chin set firmly. "Dammit, Matt, somebody's got to stand up to them." She reached for a matching shirt & the other baby.

He helped her manipulate the twins & their stroller down the front steps & around to the driveway, and watched her look from the stroller to the infinitesimal trunk of her car. He wondered if she realized how helpless she looked when she chewed on her lower lip like that. Not that he was going to point it out to her, because he figured the ever-resourceful, stand-on-her-own Mimi Tachikawa wouldn't appreciate hearing that she looked like a helpless waif sometimes. A charming, sexy waif…but still a waif.

He popped the back hatch of his SUV & lifted the stroller in. "Com on, I'll get Ella's car seat."

Relief made her eyes sparkle like diamond & the smile she gave him made the sun look dim. If it hadn't been for the alarm bells going off his brain, it might have been fun to watch her. Maybe even nudge her along & see how far she'd go in trying to enchant him.

"Hey," he said lightly. "Lay off, okay? You're making me dizzy. The truth is I wouldn't miss this encounter for the world."

**

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**

AN: The next chapter would be fun to read coz it's the part where Mimi confronts the receptionist & instead of having it her way, unexpected things happen. So be sure to check it out & don't forget to leave a review! lol


	10. Chapter 10

Here you go guys, the much awaited Mall scene! I know most of you want to see this, so here it is! Enjoy reading and don't forget to leave a review!

**MaRoNcOoL** – hey, how's it going? Haven't heard from you in a while. Anyways, there will be an unexpected turn of events during the mall scene. **Kaye** – the unexpected turn of events is a good thing, so don't worry. **Riven & Janay** – you guys rock! **Dark's Assassin & just4reviews** – here's the update. I hope you guys like it! See ya around.

_**Chapter Ten**_

It was a couple of minutes before ten when they reached the photography studio, just off the center courtyard of the mall. The shop was already open, its metal gates pushed back to leave the entire storefront open to the walkway. The waiting room was lined with wall-sized portraits of children.

"Baby!" Ella announced, pointing to a picture of a child at least twice as old as she was. Nikko seemed fascinated by the rainbow of colors in a gum ball machine which stood just outside the studio. For a moment, miraculously, neither of them was trying to escape the stroller.

In a kiosk in one corner, two women sat. One must be the receptionist she talked to earlier, Mimi thought. The other was a customer who was trying to decide which picture package to order, but who was constantly being distracted by a three year old boy who was carrying toys over to show her. On a chair nearby sat a woman with three small girls who were wearing identical red velvet dresses in different sizes.

Mimi strolled over to the reception desk & stood tapping her fingers gently on the counter. "By the time she finishes with the customer, I suppose she'll tell us we're too late for our appointment," she said under her breath.

There was no answer from Matt. puzzled, she turned around & gasped. Matt, stroller, babies & all, had disappeared without a noise, even a whimper.

_It's hardly likely they've been kidnapped,_ Mimi told herself. _Maybe they're just around the other side of the gum ball machine, learning colors._

Before she could quite convince herself, she saw Matt pushing the stroller toward her from the food court just down the hallway. _Of course, _she thought. _He didn't have time to eat breakfast either._ It was silly to feel relieved. Then she realized that he wasn't holding anything, but the twins were. Each of them was using both small hands to hold what looked like…

"Ice cream cones?" Mimi said. "Have you lost your mind?"

Matt looked mildly surprised. "I warned you that they didn't finish breakfast."

"Strawberry ice cream is not an appropriate breakfast food."

"There's protein in milk, isn't there? And strawberries are fruit."

"They can't chew up a cone!"

"I'll watch them." His voice dropped. "Besides, the studio will be anxious to get rid of them before they smear up all the other clients that they'll give you whatever you want."

Mimi stared at him. Then she glanced over her shoulder at the mother of three girls, who had drawn her velvet-dressed daughters close. There was a look of horror on the woman's face & Mimi didn't blame her. From the corner of her eye she could see Ella's come slowly tipping to the side.

"That's either the smartest idea I've heard, or the craziest," Mimi said.

The customer in the kiosk pointed toward them & said something to the receptionist, who looked across at the twins & jumped to her feet.

"Go get 'em, honey," Matt said. "I'll just stand back here & watch the fireworks."

But the woman didn't approach Mimi. Instead, she vanished through a door into the back of the studio. Her voice drifted back to the waiting room. Though Mimi couldn't make out the words, the woman's tone made her irritation clear. Mimi took a deep breath.

Half a minute later a man emerged, looking exasperated. "What is going on out here?" he demanded, waving the camera he was holding. "I'm in the middle of a shooting & my receptionist tells me…oh, my goodness."

Mimi followed his gaze. Ella had shifted her soggy cone into her right hand, holding it in a Statue-of-Liberty pose, & she was using her left hand to brace herself so she could lean across the stroller & take a lick from Nikko's cone. Pink droplets formed a chain over her chin & down her forearm from her own cone. Nikko looked as if he was thinking about shoving the rest of his ice cream up his sister's nose. His own face was so covered with ice cream that the red marker barely showed.

"Matt," Mimi said. "Take them out to the hallway, please. Quickly, before they drip all over the carpet."

"No!" the photographer said. "No, don't move anything!" He raised the camera & began to snap…moving, crouching, and twisting. Apparently fascinated by his movements, the twins sat with eyes wide & only their tongues moving, both still taking an occasional swipe at Nikko's cone. Ella's forgotten one tipped further in her hand & a blob of ice cream plopped onto the floor.

The photographer sighed with what sounded like satisfaction. "That's going to be a prize-winning photo," he said softly, & his gaze snapped to Mimi. "You can look at proofs next week. There will be no charge for shooting the pictures." He sounded as if he thought he was doing her a major favor.

Mimi's jaw dropped. He would even consider charging a fee for this?

He added slyly, "That is, if you'll sign a release so I can use the photos in contests, maybe in ads as well. It could even get them to become models."

Mimi took a second to recover her poise. "I'm afraid I can't sign anything," she said sweetly, "because they're not my children"

He looked quickly at Matt, who shook his head. "Not mine, either."

The photographer's face dropped.

"But I'll tell you what," Mimi said. "If you make an exception to your policy about rescheduling appointments & let my friend bring her babies to get a real picture taken at her convenience, I can probably persuade her to sign the paperwork you need."

"Any time," the photographer said quickly. "It would make an even better photograph than this if I had them dressed up & under the lights before we give them the ice cream."

Mimi opened her mouth, gulped, & closed it again. It took a bit of persuasion to convince the babies to relinquish the sodden cones, & some time to mop up the mss. On the way to the car, Mimi shot a look at Matt, who was obviously having trouble keeping a straight face.

"All right, go ahead & say it," she challenged. "You were right; I should have left it alone. I'll just pay for another sitting…somewhere else…and pretend this never happened."

"And forget about this set of proofs?" he said mildly. "They'll be developed next week."

"You think I'm going to tell Sora about this so-called sitting? She'd kill me."

"Then I'll come & choose the best ones. I'm going to want one for my desk, one on my bedside table, one in my car & a couple for my wallet, and maybe one on the bathroom mirror. Oh, & the refrigerator door. Hell, I'll just take one of each."

Mimi couldn't help smiling. Whatever he might say, he was obviously attached to the babies…in fact, the perfect godfather. "That's so sweet! They are going to be cute pictures, aren't they?...even if Sora would hate them."

"Cute has nothing to do with it," Matt said. "I'm only interested in self-preservation."

"What are you talking about?"

"If I have a reminder what happened this week staring at me anywhere I look," he said grimly, "I'll never get myself into this situation again.

His words seemed to ring in Mimi's head. _I'll never get myself into this situation again._ Well, Mimi thought, that certainly let her know where she stood…_Hold it a minute,_ she told herself. _And exactly which part of that didn't you already know?_

Matt made it quite clear from the beginning that it was only his sense of responsibility toward his best friend's twins which was keeping him involved here. And as for the idea that Matt was helping out had anything to do with being interested in Mimi…well, only a fool would think there anything to that.

_And only a fool would want to_, she told herself briskly.

This whole experience was obviously softening her brain. The sooner Sora got home, the sooner Mimi got back to her regular routine, & the sooner Matt got back to his models, the better it would be for all of them.

"Do you have a favorite supermarket, or will any one of them do?" Matt asked.

Mimi had to pull herself back to the present. "Oh…right, the groceries. Never mind…I'll take care of that later. You must be anxious to get to work."

"Not really," he said dryly. "Everybody's going to be upset with me today."

So that was why he really came along. Not to give her a hand; not even because he expected to be amused by the confrontation in the photo studio, but simply because he didn't want to go to work.

_Don't take it personally,_ she told herself. Given the choice between going to the mall with Matt & the twins or showing Willis Harrison half a dozen more houses, she'd take the mall over going to work, too.

She kept her voice light. "Why? Is it the client Nikko hung up on that you're avoiding or the one whose building permit he scribbled all over?"

"Oh, damn, I forgot about the building permit."

"Well, if it's still readable, maybe it won't matter."

"Let's hope so, or when he's thirty he'll still be doing odd jobs to work off the extra fees."

Mimi tried to smother a grin. That was pretty obviously an idle threat, coming from the same guy who figured out a way to give Sora a new dishwasher without making her feel patronized. "That might actually please his mother."

"Because he'll have a guaranteed job?"

"And she won't have to worry about building a college fund for him, if hell be too busy picking up nails & emptying trash to go to school."

"I'll keep that in mind. Do you want me to move the car seats or leave you the SUV?"

Mimi raised her eyebrows. "You'd actually trust me with your car again?"

"Only because it's pretty difficult to get myself far enough into your to tighten things down."

He could just dump the seats in the driveway & tell her to take care of it herself. But he didn't. _Of course, he wants the twins to be safe._

"You really are a nice guy, you know," Mimi said. "Do you suppose when all this is over, we can actually be friends?"

She thought for a few seconds if he heard her. "Sure," he said finally. "I suppose we could even double-date."

"I don't think…" Mimi swallowed the rest of the sentence. It probably wasn't smart to invite a guy to be a friend & then in the next breath insult his taste in women. Not that he didn't know what she thought of his girlfriends anyway, so there was really no point in saying it again, but if he thought there was the slightest chance that she'd get chummy with Amber or Elsa or whatever the name of his current girlfriend is…

"Not precisely what you had in mind?" Matt shot a look at her. "So what are you thinking about, Mimi?"

She never felt so awkward in her life. It was true that she hadn't been picturing them as part of a foursome…but if she said anything of the kind, he was likely to leap to the conclusion that she was suggesting a date…

_Well? _She asked herself. _Exactly what are you suggesting, Mimi Tachikawa? _"Just…you know…friends," she said. "Oh, forget it. I wasn't thinking, exactly."

"Exactly," he repeated, not quite under his breath.

Mimi was a bit irritated. Did he have to take everything so personally? _So much for the nice guy._

He backed the SUV into the driveway & got the stroller out while Mimi retrieved the twins. Next door, a gray-haired woman in a housecoat opened her front door & reached for the newspaper which was lying on the welcome mat. "Good morning," she called. "You're out early, Mrs. Kamiya."

Mimi shot a look at Matt, but in his struggle to unfold the stroller h apparently wasn't listening. _So do I just say 'hi' & let it go at that?_ Mimi wondered. _Or correct her?_

The woman squinted & frowned. "No, wait a minute. You're not Mrs. Kamiya. Her hair isn't as nearly as long. And her hair is red, not brown. Did you buy the Kamiya's house? But those are her babies…aren't they?"

Matt pushed the stroller up beside the SUV & took Nikko from Mimi's arms. "Yes, their parents threw them in with the house," he said under his breath. "The deal includes washer, dryer, furniture, twins…"

Mimi was so relieved that he apparently wasn't going to have an attack over the mistaken identification that she started to giggle. "We're just taking care of them for a few days," she called.

"So much for asking her to baby-sit," Matt muttered. "And here I was thinking we might have stumbled into a solution."

**

* * *

**

To say that no one was going to be particularly happy with him today had been an understatement, Matt realized within a few minutes of reaching Jun Motomiya's house. Two of his workmen were getting ready to drill holes in the existing concrete wall around the soon-to-be-ex-window, so the gap could be filled & properly supported with reinforcing rod. Two more were setting up the concrete saw they would need to cut a hole in the wall around the corner, where the new window would face out over Jun Motomiya's own back lawn instead of her neighbor's.

In short, the entire crew was tied up with Jun Motmomiya's change order, & it appeared to Matt as if they hadn't accomplished much all morning.

The foreman snapped a case of drill bits closed & glowered at him. "Want to explain to me again why we're doing this, boss?"

Matt didn't bother. "I thought you'd be used to the job by now.'

"We've been stalling till you showed up; hoping that you just lost your mind yesterday & you'd get it back by this morning & tell us not to go ahead."

Matt waved a hand at the guys running the cement saw. They pulled protective earmuffs & goggles into place & started up the motor and with a shriek like thousand banshees the saw blade bit slowly into the wall.

Matt winced. As often as he had listened to concrete saw, he would never get used to the screech of the blade, high-pitched & eerie. He stepped outside, where the sound wasn't quite as obnoxiously loud. "It's probably a good thing you didn't start this a few hours ago," he observed to the foreman. "The neighbors would have been throwing golf clubs & rotten tomatoes at you."

"You think we're nuts?" the foreman said with a growl & moved off to help construct the forms.

From the corner of his eye, Matt caught a glimpse of something pink & fluffy, and he turned to see Jun Motomiya coming around the side of the house, wearing a ruffled chiffon house coat. She looked as if she just got out of bed; though…despite her clothes…she even managed to put on makeup before going outside.

This morning, she was carrying her poodle. One hand supported the tiny dog's stomach; the other was cupped over the poodle's topknot in an effort to cover both ears. Jun Motomiya was obviously yelling something; Matt could see her lips moving, but he couldn't make out the words.

He waved down to the foreman, who strolled over to the men running the saw. They cut the motor & the sound faded.

"What is that noise?" Jun Motomiya asked angrily.

"We're moving your window, as you requested."

"Well, can't you do it quietly? You woke me up, you've upset my dog, & you've got the neighborhood in an uproar…"

"I did warn you," Matt reminded, "that moving the window would be expensive & messy."

"You didn't warn me it would be noisier than an atomic blast," she said irritably.

There was no doubt in Matt's mind that he told her about the noise. She really did look frazzled. "We can hold off for a while if you like."

"What difference will that make? It's still going to be as loud."

"I thought you might like to go out for the day & avoid the noise."

Her eyes narrowed. "How long is this going to take?"

_Depends on how long you need to get dressed._ "We may be done today, but that wall's pretty solid. If you recall, that's why you wanted to build it out of concrete in the first place. You might want to stay in a hotel overnight, just to be on the safe side."

"What about the neighbors? Two of them have called to complain. I can't take them all to a hotel!"

"You could leave the window where you originally wanted it."

She was obviously thinking about it.

"We could still add a couple of skylights, if we decide before the roof tile goes up," Matt offered. "That way, even with blinds closed over the window, you'd get plenty of sunshine into the room."

He almost held his breath, but the compromise seemed to be just face-saving enough that she could accept it. "Oh, all right," she said ungraciously. "But this isn't turning out the way I expected. And it's taking much longer than I thought it would."

_Changing the plans twice a day isn't helping that,_ Matt wanted to say.

"My housewarming party is coming up soon & all you're accomplishing is to make more mess. I hope you're not planning to charge me for repairing the damage your men have done this morning, because it's certainly not my fault you were too busy with that baby yesterday to tell me exactly what moving the window would be like."

Whether her complaints were real or not, she obviously needed someone to blame right now, & Matt knew better than to try to correct her.

"Well," she went on, "as long as you don't have that brat along to distract you today, there's something else I'd like to point out."

_Brat._ Nikko wouldn't know the word, of course, but the baby was no fool…he'd have recognized the tone of Jun Motomiya's voice. Just as he had yesterday, when he clung to Matt like a newborn monkey.

Jun Motomiya went on, "There's a wall I'm just not sure about."

_Here we go again_, Matt thought. But there was one big difference from yesterday. He actually missed Nikko.

**

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**

AN: Chapter 11 will be up soon. Don't forget to review! I'd like to know what you guys think so far.


	11. Chapter 11

Hi guys! Sorry it took a while for me to update this one. My cousin's came here yesterday & I spent most of time with them. Anyways, thank you all for the reviews you've submitted.

**Janay** - I'm glad you're giving time to review both my stories. It's really nice of you. Thanks! **crescentmoon-cat** - thanks for the review! Keep R&R! **just4reviews** - the studio chapter is one of my favorites, too! **Kaye** - yeah, Matt's starting to get attached to the twins. **MaRoNcOoL** - I totally agree with you! I'm glad you like my story. Thanks! **Koumi** - just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you could get your way with it. You can say whatever you want, I don't care! You're full of crap, anyway! Whatever you say won't change the way I live my life, so deal with it!

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Mimi had put on the last clean outfit she possessed, & she was folding laundry in the living room while the twins played on a blanket nearby. The couch was pilled with small clothes in neatly folded stacks. Among the tiny jeans, shirts, pajamas, rompers, & overalls were a few of her own things…like her favorite pinstriped blouse which, despite her best efforts, is still blotched with the faint orange aftereffects of the marinara sauce from the twins' spaghetti spree.

She'd have to make a run out to her townhouse for more clothes. At the rate this was going, she thought, she might as well just move everything she owned. She heard a door slam outside & went to glance out the window into the driveway. Matt's SUV was there, & so was a pickup truck and a couple of guys who were loading Sora's old dishwasher into the back. Only when they drove away did Matt come in.

"Getting rid of the evidence, I see," Mimi said.

"Of course, I don't need to keep it because I have you to swear that it wasn't repairable."

"Well, you sound cheerful for a guy who was expecting to be on everybody's hate list today. Or are you just relieved to be done for the day?"

"Done? I thought I was only starting on the real chore." He ruffled the twins' hair & dropped a bright-colored plastic ring onto the stacking pole in front of Ella. "Are you anxious to see the tycoon, or just anxious to get out of here?"

"Anxious to have the evening over with," she gathered up as many stacks of small clothes as she could & took them into the twins' room to put away.

Matt followed with the rest. "Is this guy more annoying than your usual customer, or are you just edgy because of the situation?"

Mimi considered. "I think, a little of both. He has no idea what he wants. He just says that he'll know it when he sees it."

"So he wants you to show him every house in Odaiba that has a for-sale sign in the front lawn."

"That's just about the size of it." She closed a drawer in Nikko's cabinet & opened one of Ella's, taking the clothes out of Matt's hands.

"Maybe he's infatuated with you, not he house, & he'll just keep looking till you go out with him on a date."

"Please don't threaten me like that."

A shuffling sound in the hallway announced the approach of one of the twins. "I think they've discovered we abandoned them," Matt said.

"That will be Ella," Mimi said. "Nikko never comes in here on his own…he's afraid someone will think he actually wants to take a nap."

Ella peeked around the corner, grinned & scrambled across the room on hands & knees. When she reached them, she braced her hands against Mimi's knees, pulled herself up & began to babble.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Mimi asked. She bent down to pick up the baby.

"Watch out," Matt warned. "She'll drool all over you." He reached to take Ella out of her arms.

The baby held out one arm to him, but kept her other arm clamped around Mimi's neck. Mimi gasped as the baby pulled. "She's incredibly strong!"

"She does the equivalent of pushups about twelve hours a day," Matt pointed out. "Let go, you little cute octopus." His fingers brushed against Mimi's throat as he tried to pull Ella's hand loose. "I'm afraid I'll scratch you if I pull," he said.

But Ella discovered a new game, & she was determined not to let go. With one arm around each neck, she tugged.

Mimi glanced at the obstinate little face & gave in. "All right, you can have your group hug, Ella, & then you're getting down because I have to leave." Playing along, she took a step closer & laid her free hand on the back of Matt's neck over Ella's tiny one.

Ella gave an infectious little giggle that made Mimi smile. "It takes so little to keep her happy." Mimi looked up at Matt, expecting that he, too, would be sharing the joke. But his eyes were dark, without a spark of laughter.

She was so close to him she could almost drown in his ocean blue eyes. The last lingering hint of his aftershave mixed with the fresh scent of the outdoors, tickled her nose. His neck was warm under her hand…almost hot compared to Ella's tiny hand, cool from her crawl across the floor. Against the pad of her thumb she felt the uneven thump of his heartbeat…or was that her own?

Mimi pulled back, uncertain. "It was a joke, Matt." Her voice cracked.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat. "No new about the ship today, I suppose?"

At least they were off a touchy subject…even if the new one he'd chosen made it very clear that he was anxious to have this whole thing over with.

_No more anxious than I am_, Mimi thought. No wonder all his girlfriends had a dimness in common…they might not even notice how skittish he was.

Mimi shook her head, peeled Ella loose, & handed her over. "Not a thing. Wouldn't you think by now they could get some official guess about how long it's going to be?"

"You're getting tired of passing babies back & forth like cards in a game of war." He nestled Ella close.

Mimi tried to ignore Ella's pouting lower lip & her pleadingly outstretched hand. She turned back to the drawer, tucking tiny socks & undershirts inside.

"Well…yes. Aren't you?"

"I don't know." His voice seemed to be back to normal. "I actually found myself missing Nikko today. He seems to have a talent for setting my most troublesome customer on edge."

Mimi shot him a startled look. "And that's a good thing?"

"If he was with me today, she might not have decided to move another wall & enlarge her closet to include ten feet of cabinets for her shoes."

"Jun Motomiya."

"The one & only."

Mimi said, trying to sound fair, "I suppose the good thing about her is that she provides job security for all of your workers."

"Yeah, if you'd like to take Nikko with you tonight…"

Mimi shuddered at the thought. A child who could cause havoc on a construction site would be deadly in the sort of house she'd be showing to Willis Harrison tonight. "It's so sweet of you to share him, Matt, but no thanks."

Matt shrugged. "It's up to you, but I'll bet the tycoon will cut the evening short if you do."

Mimi didn't wait around to see what his next offer would be. Packing up both babies & coming along to keep her company, no doubt. And wouldn't Willis Harrison enjoy that treat!

**

* * *

**

The parking area outside her townhouse was full, so Mimi had to leave her car almost a block away. As she hurried down the sidewalk toward her house, her mind was already on the contents of her closet, so it took her longer than it normally would have to notice the two men standing outside her front door…and longer yet to realize that there was something very strange bout the way they were behaving.

She slowed her step & frowned, watching as she approached. The light bulb above the door had burned out…or been turned off, suggested a suspicious voice in the back of her mind…and the way one of them was crouched over the doorknob set off the alarm bells in her head. But just as she decided to veer off toward the closest neighbor's door & ask for help, one of the men turned around & saw her. It was the manager of the complex, she saw, & relief registered in his face.

"What's the problem?" she called as she hurried toward him.

The other man wheeled around, obviously startled. "Mimi! You're all right!"

"Joe?" She was just as surprised as he obviously was. "Of course I'm all right. What are you doing here?"

"You said you were going to call me," he reminded.

"Oh," she bit her lip, remembering the day at he bank when he offered to take her to lunch & she said she'd call him later in the week. "I've been a little busy & I forgot."

"Well, you seem to have forgotten to go to work, too," he said. "I've called a half-dozen times. You weren't there & your receptionist seemed very edgy about telling me anything."

After the discussion they had over Mimi's supposed headache, she wasn't surprised if Yolei had stopped manufacturing excuses.

"For that matter," he went on, "you haven't answered your phone, either. I've been leaving messages here all week."

"My cell phone…"

"It kicks over to a message that just says you're unavailable."

Mimi pulled it out of her pocket. The screen wasn't blank, but it was dimmer than usual. "I must have forgotten to recharge it today."

"Anyways, I stopped by to ask the manager about you, & he noticed you haven't picked up your mail, either."

"And there's a bag from the dry-cleaning service in my office," the manager added. "It's been there since Monday afternoon."

"So we came down here with the master key…"

"Expecting to find me drowned in the bathtub? Honestly, Joe." Mimi bit her lip. Obviously he'd been worried…& she had to admit he had reason to worry. She said she'd call him later in the week…& that had been only a couple of days ago.

Which, she supposed was part of the problem. Joe seemed to be taking their friendship a great deal more seriously than she was. "I'm sorry," she said. "Look, I've been really busy &…"

"Too busy to come home?"

The manager said hastily, "Well, now that we know you're all right, Ms. Tachikawa, I'll be on my way."

Joe took a deep breath. "Mimi, is there somebody else?" His voice was somber.

_Somebody else?_ Mimi was stunned. "Joe, we've had…what, three or four dates? It's not like we're engaged!"

"No," he said. "No, it's not. I'll see you around sometime." He walked away before she could say another word.

Mimi rolled her eyes. There was one more thing for her to-do list next week…or whenever Sora got home. Take Joe out for coffee, tell him what had been going on all week, & make sure he understands that having dinner together a few times doesn't mean she was serious about him.

After the way Michael trampled on her pride, she wasn't anxious to go further than occasional evening dates, no matter who her companion was. Maybe that was why she made her spur-of-the-moment offer of friendship to Matt, she mused…because even though she hadn't stopped to think about it, she knew that if any guy would understand the concept of a no-strings-attached relationship, it would be Yamato Ishida.

**

* * *

**

Willis Harrison was nowhere to be seen when she pulled up in front of his hotel, so she parked off to the side & checked her cell phone while she waited. The battery charge was a little stronger now, but it had been plugged in for only a few minutes while she packed, & the car charger was so slow that it would take all night to charge the battery completely.

"And I thought I was doing so well this afternoon checking everything off my list," she muttered.

She saw Willis coming out of the hotel & let the car idle up to entrance. A bellboy opened the door for him & he slid in beside her. She nodded toward a brightly colored catalog which lay on the console between them. "I brought you the new multiple-listings guide," she said. "Have you looked at the books I left with you?"

"I've been very busy."

Mimi smothered a sigh. So much for hoping that Willis might take a little personal responsibility for finding a house he liked. "Perhaps you'd like to take them back to New York with you. Then you can let me know if you see anything you particularly want to see."

He didn't answer. "What are we looking at tonight?"

"I've got four possibilities. It's harder to convince people to let viewers come through in the evenings when they're normally home."

"If they really wanted to sell, they would.'

Mimi bit her tongue. "Have you thought more about the questions I asked at first? How you'll want to use the house or how often you'll have guests? You told me you were divorced, but will it just be you living here?"

He leaned back in his seat & looked at her. "If you mean do I have a live-in girlfriend, no." His voice was silky. "So the position's available."

"If I find anybody suitable, I'll let you know." Mimi kept her tone steady. "I was thinking more about children. You know…joint custody, summer visits, holidays."

"Oh, no, never had children. My ex-wife was too focused on her career. She was…is…a lawyer."

"That's interesting."

"She always seemed to think so. Personally I prefer a woman who doesn't put her home second to her career."

_No wonder she didn't want to have kids with a husband whose attitude is pure medieval._

"You know," Willis mused, "real estate is such a perfect career for a woman."

Mimi said a bit curtly, "Women have certain advantages in the field, that's true."

"No, I meant that selling houses leaves lots of time for a woman to have a family."

_I should take you home with me so you can tell Matt that one…he'd get a good laugh out of the idea of me having time on my hands._

Fortunately they reached the first house on her list, so Mimi didn't have to answer. She consulted her notes instead. "This one is a little smaller than you wanted," she said. "There are three bedrooms, but no home office. One of the bedrooms could be converted, of course."

"But that would leave me short."

_Good. You can subtract. That must be handy._

Willis walked in, looked around, shrugged & walked out. At least, Mimi thought grimly, it looked as if the evening would be face-paced…even without Nikko to help it along. She wondered how Matt was doing with the babies. Funny that tonight he didn't object on being left alone with them for bath & bedtime, because he'd been so reluctant to take over the job by himself that first night.

Not that it took Einstein to figure that out. After Ella's little prank where she pulled them into an embrace, practically within kissing distance, no wonder he was so eager to shoo her out of the house. He wanted a little time on his own…even if it included two babies.

They were at the fourth house when Willis said suddenly, "That first place we looked at tonight. Why did you show it me, when it's too small?"

Mimi held on to her patience. "Because the lot is big & you can enlarge it."

"Oh."

Impulsively she said, "Let me show you something. It's not an office; it's a ground-level master bedroom. But it will help you get an idea of how it can be done, to put a new room on a house without making it look big." She turned the car toward Warrington. "This is private property, so we can't go walking through…especially at this hour of the night. But I'll drive around the block because you can get a pretty good view from the street."

It didn't take long to drive from the exclusive neighborhoods she'd been concentrating on, through the shopping district at the Country Club Plaza, past the art museum & into the winding, narrower streets of Warrington.

"It's right up ahead," she said, pointing. "That big Mediterranean style house with the pink tile roof; the new room is around the back, but since the house is on a corner…"

Willis apparently wasn't listening. He was leaning forward & was staring at Jun Motomiya's house. Mimi circled the block, driving slowly & watching Willis as ell as taking a look at the house herself. It changed an amazing amount in the two days since she last saw it; the roof tile was in place &…was that a new skylight?

She took a second look at Willis. He was hardly blinking because he was staring so hard.

"That's the one," he said. "That's the house I want to buy."

**

* * *

**

AN: Looks like Mimi's work just got worse. Can she convince Willis that Jun's house is not for sale? How will she deal with this situation? Stay tuned to find out!

Chapter 12 will be up soon! Don't forget to review! lol


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the wonderful reviews you guys have given! You'll find a shocking scene near the end of the chapter…and I bet most of you will shout for joy!

**BetterDeadThanAlone** – I'm glad you love it! Did you really seat on your chair the whole time while waiting for this? Hehe! Thanks, keep R&R! **Assassin's partner** – thanks! I'm happy to know you like it so much! **Dark's Assassin** – I'll keep on typing I often as I can. I do hope I get in your top 5, but I guess I have to work harder to be on it. **Riven** – yeah, Matt's feelings are a little bit confusing & Mimi thinks that he's a 'no commitment' type of guy…or is he?...thanks! Keep R&R! **Angel **– Ola! You're the co-captain in your squad! That is so cool! Yay! Best in luck on your team! Lol **jut4reviews** – sorry if that chapter didn't turn out so good, but I give you credit for being honest. Thanks! **Koumi** – yeah, right, I always wear blue but nothing happens…this just proves that what you say is real CRAP! And FYI, I'm not that stupid to carry a blue flag or whatever it is, just so I can get myself shot. That's just bull! **Hikari-Kawaii** – well, Willis is pretty set on buying Jun's house…let's just see what happens, ok. Keep R&R!

_**Chapter Twelve**_

No matter how hard Mimi tried to explain that Jun Motomiya's house wasn't for sale, that she had only driven him past it to help him see what might be done to improve some other house, there was no budging Willis Harrison.

He said once that he would know the right house when he saw it, but never before had one of Mimi's clients been so stubborn & unreasonable. As far as Willis was concerned, now that he'd seen the house he wanted, the only question left was what Mimi was going to do about it.

Which brought her right back to the beginning…trying to explain that she couldn't sell him a house which wasn't for sale.

"Everything's for sale," he announced. "I'll be leaving tomorrow & I'll be back on Sunday, so I expect you to have some answers."

**

* * *

**

When Mimi got down from the driveway, Sora's house was dark except for a weird flicker beyond the living room windows. For an instant she thought fire, but the glow was more blue than red, & when she came inside she could hear the murmur of the TV. Matt was lying on the couch, his head propped against one arm & his feet, crossed at the ankles, was on the other. He didn't move when she came in.

_Poor guy,_ she thought. The babies must have worn him out. She stood there for a moment, just watching him…intrigued because she'd never seen him so far off guard before. Even though he seemed to have given up the habit of surveying her like a rabbit captivated by a cobra, he never stopped being watchful, even wary. "Running even when no one's chasing him," she muttered.

He sat up. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, I thought you were asleep."

"I was watching the tennis match."

"Who's winning?"

"The guy on the left, I think."

"If you don't even know who's playing, or who's ahead, then why are you watching?"

"I was waiting for you to show up. It's not like you to be so quiet. Are you having trouble coming up with an excuse for being late?"

Mimi drew back, puzzled. "And what exactly is your problem? You sound like I missed a curfew or something." She set down the duffle bag she brought in.

His gaze flickered. "I tried to call you, but your phone's dead. I was worried, okay. After everything you've said about Willis Harrison…"

"You thought he'd lock me in a bedroom somewhere?"

"It's been known to happen."

"Yes, it has. That's why women who sell real estate take self-defense classes & carry a small tear gas on their key chains." She dangled her keys under his nose.

"In that case," he said calmly, "I won't give your keys to the twins to chew."

"Give them your own. You're the one who has an extra." A bit too late, she realized that it might not have been smart to remind him of that incident. "So, you were about me?"

"The thought crossed my mind."

"That's sweet, Matt…even if you were really more worried about who you'd get to help out if I was suddenly out of the picture." She sat down on the arm of the couch. "I need a favor."

"Mimi, so help me, if you've scheduled another day out with Willis…"

"No, no. I told he's going back to New York tomorrow."

"Then it's some other client?"

"Well, there are a few things I should probably check on the office. But what I really need is for you to tell me a little about Jun Motomiya."

"Why do you want to know?"

She told him about Willis' sudden fixation with Jun's house, & when she finished, Matt looked at her for half a minute & shook his head in disbelief. "You took him to Jun's house."

"Only to give him an example of how a house can be enlarged in a way that enhances the original architecture instead of overwhelming it."

"Thank you," Matt said quietly.

"Oh, you're welcome. You did a really nice job. I never would have shown it to him, of course, if I had any idea that he'd take one look at the house & fall in love with it."

"It's not the usual reaction, no."

"Exactly, how could I have anticipated that? Nobody buys a house without looking inside."

"You were telling me about someone in Mission Hills who did," Matt reminded.

"That was different. That guy never had any intention on living in it."

"So what are you going to do about Willis' obsession?"

"Well, first I need to call Jun & find out whether she'd consider selling."

"Get real, Mimi. The woman's building on a new room. She's not thinking about moving."

"I can at least ask," Mimi said stubbornly. "If she'll just let me show him through, I'm sure he'll get over it. Willis is in love with an illusion & until that's knocked out of his head; he won't even be able to see anything else."

"Jun's house," Matt said doubtfully, "an illusion?"

"Honestly, Matt, the place looked like a magazine cover tonight, beautifully landscaped & lit. But once Willis gets inside & realizes that the rooms are small & cramped…"

"They're not, angel."

"Or that the bathrooms are old-fashioned…"

"That's why she'd building a new one."

"Or that the kitchen isn't big enough for a caterer to work in…"

"It's huge, Mimi."

"All right," she snapped. "There will be something he doesn't like. I'll find it if I have to crawl through the attic & the basement myself. Once he sees that house for what it really is, he'll get over the whole idea & be more realistic about buying something else."

"But if Jun's not interested in selling, she's certainly not going to let you show buyers in."

Mimi bit her lip, & then quoted Willis. "Everything's for sale."

"At the right price, the question is whether he's willing to pay it. Anyway, I'm not so sure I want her to sell the house."

Mimi was startled. "Why on earth not? All week you've been talking as if you're the biggest goal right now is to get rid of her as a client."

"If she sells before the house is completed, I'll probably be stuck with Willis Harrison…& from what you've said about him, I don't like him any better."

"I may have exaggerated him a bit," Mimi said carefully. "I mean, I'm sure Jun can't really be as kooky as you've painted her, either."

"Think again, princess. Besides, if Jun sells her house, she'll want me to build her a new one."

Mimi shrugged. "But before she makes up her mind to what she wants, you'll be retired & off the hook."

"I'll sleep on it, Mimi." He stretched out on the couch once more, his white-socked feet nudging her off her perch. "See you in the morning."

Mimi looked down at him. "You don't fit on that couch very well."

"Give the girl a prize."

"How have you managed to get any sleep at all? Why haven't you said something?"

"Complaining wouldn't have accomplished anything."

"Yes, it would. I'll be right back."

"What are you going to do?"

"Sleep on the couch so you can have the bed," she said over her shoulder. "Besides, I have this terrible compulsion to watch classic black & white movies tonight, & there's no television set in the bedroom."

She changed into her sweats, dug out an extra blanket, & peeked in on the babies before going back to the living room. Matt had gone into the kitchen & as she heard the refrigerator door closing, she bustled around to make her bed. She tucked herself in with the remote control in hand when he returned with a dish of ice cream.

"You must have felt cheated this morning at the mall," Mimi said, nodding at the bowl.

He waved his spoon at the couch. "You sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure; go get a good night's sleep for a change, Matt."

He didn't answer, but he walked quietly toward the master bedroom. Mimi yawned & turned the volume down on the TV. The couch wasn't the most comfortable place she'd slept on, but at least her five foot seven frame fit perfectly. She was surprised Matt hadn't just rolled off onto the floor where he could at least stretch out. But the cushions were delightfully warm where he'd been lying, & with the padding provided by the extra blanket, she figured she probably wouldn't have any trouble dozing off…

**

* * *

**

When she woke, she was dazed for a moment. Was she dreaming? She knew that she slept on the couch last night, but now…she was in the master bedroom, tucked under the comforter. And beside her, stretched out on his side facing her…his eyes closed, his breathing peaceful…was Matt.

Mimi shot up to a sitting position, before she could even think about moving slowly or carefully. The rocking motion of the mattress woke Matt. He opened his eyes, but moved only far enough to punch the pillow up to prop his head a little higher.

Obviously Mimi thought spitefully, he wasn't surprised at finding himself in bed with a female… "I don't know what happened," she said. "I don't remember getting up in the night, but I must have been so out of it that I forgot I was sleeping on the couch."

He nodded thoughtfully. The gesture looked a bit weird, considering that he was still lying down, & she thought she saw the glimmer of a smile in his eyes.

"Dammit, Matt, I certainly did not do it on purpose," she snapped. "Why would I want to get in bed with you?"

"Is that a rhetorical question or would you like a list?"

"You ego is certainly wide awake this morning."

"Oh, the rest of me is, too. If you'd like a demonstration…"

She slid as far toward the edge of the bed as she could. "Come on, Mimi. I couldn't shake the idea that it wasn't very gentlemanly of me to let you sleep on the couch, so I brought you in here. You're no harder to put to bed than the babies are. You're light as a feather & you sleep just as soundly."

Mimi bristled. "And then you stayed."

"Well, I didn't say I was a perfect gentleman. It just seemed silly for either of us to be uncomfortable when there is plenty of room here." He sat up a little higher & the comforter slid down off his chest.

_His bare chest_, Mimi noted.

He yawned. "So, now that we have all that settled, can we grab ten more minutes of sleep before the twins wake up & start crowing like chickens?"

Mimi opened her mouth to protest & then realized how silly she was being. If they spent the night in the same bed, another few minutes certainly wasn't going to damage her virtue. That had obviously never been in question, anyway, for he was looking amused at the very idea.

They were partners that are stuck in a mad adventure. If he had any thought that she might take their sleeping together in a romantic sense, Matt would have fled the country rather than ask for trouble by picking her up & shifting her into bed.

So she'd better get herself under control before he started questioning why she thought it was such a big deal. She slid tentatively back down under the comforter. She almost…almost…wished that she hadn't been asleep when he moved her. She wasn't that tall or heavy, but her experience with the twins told her that a sleeping body seemed to be twice its actual weight. It would have been interesting to see how Matt did it…

But then he no doubt got lots of practice with carrying things around, not only on the construction site, but in his own bedroom. Mimi thought, a bit maliciously, that a tall woman…even one who was the perfect size of a model…would overweigh her any day of the week…

"That's my girl," Matt said, sounding sleepy.

She almost pointed out that he said he was wide awake. Then she stopped to think where that might lead, & decided there was absolutely no sense in asking for trouble.

Matt draped an arm across her. Mimi tensed & then forced each muscle to relax.

_Partners_, she told herself. _It's no big deal._

**

* * *

**

AN: Ooohhh! Matt & Mimi, sleeping together! Don't worry guys, nothing bad happened between them. Matt just carried Mimi so she can sleep comfortably. If I was in Mimi's place, I'll enjoy every minute in bed with Matt…hehehe! Don't forget to review!


	13. Chapter 13

I bet you, guys, will enjoy this one. It may be a little bit boring at first, but I assure you that once you get to the end, you'll be begging for more…hehehe! Thanks for the reviews! It reached the 50 mark! Wow! Thank you so much!

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

The twins were unusually bright-eyed & cheerful, & far more interested in playing hands-and-knees tag. When Mimi tried to capture them, they scrambled gleefully off in opposite directions. "I had to go & teach them that little evasion trick," she sad glumly.

"Oh, let them clean the floor a bit longer," Matt said. "Go get some clothes on & we'll skip the routine today & go out for breakfast."

She surveyed the twins, who were still in their pajamas, & Matt, who was sporting stubble. "By the time we get everybody ready, it'll be more like brunch."

"That's okay, it'll be less crowded."

"All right," she said, "but no ice cream."

"Hear that, guys, how about French toast & sausage?" Ella giggled while Nikko nodded.

"They don't know what you're talking about," Mimi pointed out.

"Then it's time they learned."

The coffee shop that Matt chose was obviously used to hosting families, for there was a line of high chairs, & the twins' milk was delivered to the table in tip-proof cups. "I see you come in here a lot," Mimi said as she put bibs on the babies.

"How do you know that?"

"Because the hostess could barely stop her eyes from popping out at the sight of you with a woman & a couple of kids, which says she's used to seeing you on your own." She added thoughtfully, "Or perhaps with a succession of different women."

"Ah, you're a real-estate person _and_ a private detective. It's a flexible combination; I'll say that for you."

"At any rate, it's painfully obvious that the hostess had never thought of you as a family man, until this morning." _Real-estate person…oh, yes._ "You said we'd talk about Jun Motomiya today."

Matt eyed her over his coffee cup. "No, I said I'd sleep on it."

"And now that you've slept on it, what have you decided?"

"That calling her up to ask if her house is for sale will get you exactly nowhere."

"Give me credit for a little tact, Matt. I'll be diplomatic about it. But if you're not going to help me, at least promise that you won't sabotage the deal."

"I never said I wouldn't help you, but handling Jun requires a certain sideways approach."

"All right," Mimi said slowly. She took Nikko's tippy cup out of his hand & turned it right side up. "I'm listening."

"No, you're not. Whenever you have the babies settled to your satisfaction, I'll tell you."

"They do require a certain amount of attention to keep them quiet, Matt."

He shook his head. "They'll occupy themselves by flirting with every customer in the whole coffee shop if you just leave them to it.'

She sighed & sat back in her chair. "All right, I'm really listening."

Matt sipped his coffee & told her his plan. Mimi stared at him for a long moment. The waitress brought their meals, and Mimi absently cut a piece of French toast & a sausage patty into tiny bits and set it in front of the twins. "And you seriously think that will work?"

"It can't fail any more spectacularly than if you call her up from the office with the direct approach."

That much was probably true, Mimi admitted. Cold-calling a client she'd never even met was about the least promising idea she'd ever come up with. She wouldn't have considered it if Willis Harrison hadn't been so insistent. But Matt's idea wasn't a whole lot better than hers. "I need to stop by the office before we go," she announced. "I want to have a listing contract in my pocket, just in case."

"So you can get her signature before she changes her mind? Mimi, it'll either work or it won't."

"And if it does, I want to be ready to capitalize on it," Mimi said stubbornly.

"That's fine with me, more coffee?"

**

* * *

**

The real-estate office wasn't exactly bustling, not an unusual sight for late Thursday morning when the agents who were working were mostly out with clients. Mimi was glad to see the almost empty parking lot; however, if Izzy sees her wearing jeans & a sweatshirt coming in to the office, he would make sure she never hears the end of it.

But then, she hadn't intended to come to work this morning…particularly not with Matt & the twins in tow. She opened the door of the SUV before it even stopped moving. "I'll just run inside & grab that form. I'll be right back."

"And we'll just come with you," Matt said pleasantly, "in case someone tries to handcuff you to your chair to finish up whatever's pending."

"Suit yourself. You must like lifting weights better than I do, to carry the twins around more than you need to." She hurried ahead into the office.

Yolei was at her regular spot just inside the front door, talking to a man who was standing just in front of the desk. A woman beside him leaned over the desk, apparently to write a note. Yolei looked up. "Oh, Ms. Tachikawa…there's another counteroffer on the Tatsumoru's deal. I was going to call you in a little bit, but since you're here…"

"I'll take a look at it."

The couple by the desk turned as Mimi spoke. It was the young couple who had completed the purchase of their new house on Monday, in the fastest closing Mimi could remember pushing through. She felt guilty just thinking about it…even though nothing important had been skipped over in the process, such a big moment deserved more time & solemnity.

The woman stepped forward with a big smile. "How wonderful to see you! Yolei thought you wouldn't come, so I was just writing you a note."

The young man held out a package & said, "This is just a little thank you for all you've done for us."

Mimi felt even guiltier as she took the small, exquisitely wrapped box.

"And we like to invite you to have dinner with us," the young woman said. "Just you, I mean…not a party or anything…so whenever you're free, let us know." The door opened behind her.

"To be perfectly honest, though, it's not just dinner," the man went on. "There are a couple of things we'd like your advice about…things we're thinking of doing to the house. You know some remodeling stuff."

Matt came up beside her & automatically Mimi reached for the nearest baby. It happened to be Nikko, who twisted around in her arms & grabbed with both hands for the gold bow on top of Mimi's package.

Ella squeaked a protest & went after it herself. "Cut it out, guys," Matt said.

Mimi peeled Nikko's fingers off the bow, with difficulty, & set he box on the corner of Yolei's desk. "I'm sorry, that's downright embarrassing. They haven't even had a birthday yet, & they were too young last Christmas for presents to make much of an impression."

"Maybe the fondness for wrapping paper & ribbons is genetic," the young woman said with a grin. "I didn't realize you were married, Mimi. I thought…" Her gaze slid to Matt. "Oh, well."

Mimi wondered if the client was remembering the attention Joe had paid to Mimi at the closing.

"Please do bring your husband, too," the young woman went on firmly.

Matt held out a hand to her. "Yamato Ishida," he said.

"_Not_ my husband," Mimi added firmly.

"Oh." The woman's smile faded just a bit & she looked a little confused.

Mimi felt like slapping herself in the forehead. "No…no, I mean, we're not…I mean, we're just friends. And these aren't out babies. They're just borrowed."

Matt, she saw, was biting back a grin. But he sounded serious as he steeped into the breach. "Did I hear you say something about remodeling? Because I'm a contractor & I'd be happy to give you my advice."

"Then you're exactly the person we need," the young woman said. "And that certainly explains how Mimi knows so much about the practical things around the house."

Mimi's jaw dropped. As if she'd gotten her knowledge of how a house was put together by some sort of osmosis, rather than by study, experience, & hard work!

"How about Saturday night?" the young man offered. "I'll put something on the grill & we can look over the house."

Mimi opened her mouth to object, but the date was made before she could argue. The young couple bustled out & Mimi rolled her eyes, handed Nikko to Matt, took the folder Yolei held out, & started toward her own little cubicle. Matt followed.

"_You're exactly the person we need,"_ she quoted as she sat down behind her desk. "Great, you can go & I'll just stay home."

"You're just offended that they think I know more about how houses are put together, which I do."

"Well, yes, you do, but that doesn't mean…" Mimi gave it up as an impossible argument.

"You don't like them?" Mat asked. "I thought they were very nice."

"They're very nice people and I fully intended to go & visit…sometime that I don't have two babies to deal with."

"You told me Sora keeps a list of teenage baby-sitters on the refrigerator." Matt sat down across the desk from her. "Surely one of them will be free on Saturday night. And the babies need a break from us as much as we need from them."

"I don't care to contemplate the idea that we might still have them on Saturday night. Would you just be quiet for two minutes while I read this?"

"Besides," Matt went on, "if you're going to cost me Jun Motomiya's job, then I need to be out shaking the bushes for business."

"Right," Mimi sighed. "I'm really worried for you."

Matt didn't say anything, & finally she looked up at him warily. He wasn't doing anything suspicious, just sitting there in a straight chair with a twin cuddled in each arm. The late morning sunlight streaming through the window behind her desk reflected off all three heads. He looked like a saint, complete with a halo.

_I'm losing it,_ Mimi thought, & buried herself in her paperwork.

**

* * *

**

Mimi watched as Matt unfolded the stroller in Jun Motomiya's driveway & said, "This plan of yours isn't going to work."

"It certainly won't if you go into it with that attitude. Grab a kid & let's get started."

"It's not ethical."

"I told you, you have to come to Jun sideways or you'll never accomplish anything. Come on."

A couple of minutes later they were walking around the corner of Jun's house toward the new addition, pushing the stroller and pausing now & then so Matt could point out the features of the new section.

The rest of the windows had gone into place since Mimi's last visit, & the last rows of tiles were going up on the roof. Inside the new rooms, craftsmen bustled around installing cabinets, & a truck had backed up as close as possible to the glass doors so workmen could unload rolls of carpet.

"It's made a lot of progress in just a few days," Mimi said.

"Hey, remember you're not supposed to have seen it before. Hello, Ms. Motomiya. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Jun Motomiya didn't seem to hear him. "Is the work going to be finished by the weekend?"

"Not completely. But enough for the purpose."

"It better be. So this is the woman who's been costing me my contractor lately."

"Not exactly," Mimi said. "That would be the young woman who's riding in the stroller…" Matt took her arm & pinched it. Mimi shut up.

"This is my friend, Mimi," he said. "She's thinking about building on a nursery & play room…as you can see, the babies could put it to good use…and I wanted to show her some of the innovative ideas that you came up with here."

Mimi had to give him credit for that.

Jun Motomiya sounded flattered. "Oh, certainly, look around."

"Perhaps you'd like to show her through? I'll take the stroller, Mimi, so you can concentrate."

As Jun gave Mimi the grand tour, Matt followed behind, pointing out things every now & then.

"It's such beautiful work," Mimi said. "It's a truly gorgeous house, Ms, Motomiya. Is the rest all Mediterranean inside?"

Jun Motomiya preened herself. "Yes, I believe it's entirely original."

"You know, I think this house probably has everything I'm looking for," Mimi said earnestly. "I don't suppose you'd be interested…oh, no, of course you wouldn't. Anyone who had a place like this…"

"Interested in what?"

"In selling it." Mimi wouldn't quite keep herself from holding her breath while she waited.

Jun stared at her, looking down at her nose. "Well, one can never say for sure, but I very much doubt it. However, I suppose if you'd like to bring your husband by so he could take a look…There's no sense in talking about it unless he's interested as well."

"Actually, I'm not married." Mimi saw Jun's eyes narrow in disapproval. _Obviously being a single mother inst the right answer_. "I'm not married yet, I mean…I…" _Get yourself out of this one without telling a lie, Tachikawa._

"I see," Jun Motomiya said. "Now, if you'll excuse my contractor for a moment, dear, there's something I need to talk to him about."

Well, that had gone precisely nowhere, Mimi reflected. She turned the stroller around with difficulty & pushed it out toward the SUV. She parked the stroller in the lawn next to the SUV & leaned against a carved stone pillar by the driveway. She would wait till Matt came back to put the twins in the car…in case he managed to pull some magic trick that would make Jun Motomiya want to talk to her.

She was thinking about what she was going to tell Willis Harrison when he comes back to Odaiba on Sunday, when she heard Matt's cheerful whistle coming around the corner of the house. Mimi felt like growling.

"Hey, champ," Matt said. "Knock off the grass chewing or Mimi will think you've been eating spinach again & she'll start feeding it to you every day."

She spun around to face the stroller. Nikko had leaned as far as he could from his seat, pulled up a handful of grass, & started chomping on it as efficiently as a pony would. "Oh, no, why are you grinning, Matt? You mean he's done this before?"

"And it hasn't seemed to hurt him a bit," Matt said. "But that's not why I'm grinning. Guess what Jun wanted to talk about."

"How should I know? She wants to move another wall, I suppose."

"Nope, she wanted to warn me about you. She thinks you're not on the up-and-up."

"You mean she saw through your little scheme?"

"Oh, no, she pulled me aside to say that she doubts you were ever married at all."

"Imagine that," Mimi said feebly.

Matt grinned. "Worse yet, she thinks you're out to snag me. Come on & let's get the kids in the car."

"So what's next?"

"Next," he said, "we stop at my office to look at the plans of the house."

Mimi's eyes widened. "You have the floor plans of this house?"

"Only rough ones, to get ready for the addition, but it's something."

"Matt, if I can just borrow the plans, Willis wouldn't have to look t the house!"

"You actually think Willis Harrison can look at a blueprint & visualize the finished product?"

Mimi sighed. "No, he can't even look at a finished product & imagine it with different carpet & drapes."

"Then there's no point in confusing him with the drawings…but you can look at them."

"So then I can tell him about the house? I don't know how effective that will be, but I can try. And I truly appreciate the help."

"No," he said. "So when you show him through on Sunday night, you won't mistake a closet door for a bedroom."

Mimi wasn't sure she heard him right. When if finally sank in, she gave a little shriek, threw her arms around his neck & kissed his cheek. "You talked her into letting me show it? Matt, you're wonderful!"

He staggered back a step. "Not exactly," he warned. "I got us an invitation to Jun's housewarming party on Sunday, seven o'clock, and cocktails. Bring Willis, & while we're wandering around having conversations, he can be looking at the house."

"Maybe I should have told her I was married after all," Mimi mused.

"And introduce Willis as your husband? I prefer you didn't, Mimi. I wouldn't put it past her to be looking out the window, and if she sees this…"

"This?" Mimi just realized that when she rushed at him, Matt held on to steady her, & she was still wrapped around in his arms. "Oh, you mean us standing here like this."

"Not quite," Matt said. "I'm talking about this."

Then, with infinite gentleness, he bent his head & kissed here.

**

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**

AN: Finally, we got some action between Matt & Mimi! Yay! Please review & tell me what you, guys, think. See you all next week! Mwah!lol

**ellamoony** – thanks for the review! Keep R&R! **Riven** – I hope you liked this one. **Koumi** – duh, of course I know Snoop Dogg, who wouldn't? I mean, he's one of the coolest rap artists out there, & he's definitely one of my favs. **Just4reviews** – Mimi's starting to fall in love with Matt, but she's too preoccupied with the twins & her work to realize it. Let's cross our fingers & pray. **Crescentmoon-cat** – thank you, thank you! (takes a bow)


	14. Chapter 14

I am so sorry about the cliffy on chapter 13. I do hope you liked it, despite the cliffhanger at the end. And sorry for not updating sooner!

**Crescentmoon-cat** – that's great to hear. Thanks! **Riven** – ahh, I see you're here again! You're so great! Thanks! **Koumi** – yeah, I think I've heard the group before. **Dark's Assassin** – well, let's see what happens. I still got some tricks left up on my sleeves. **Pink-writer** – hi, great to have you here! Keep R&R! **BetterDeadThanAlone** – hehehe! Girl, you're so funny. Your reviews make me laugh! **Kaye** – just stick around, gurl. There's only a couple more chapters left. **Just4reviews** – I'm really really REALLY glad to know that you like it so much! Thanks!

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

He tasted like coffee, freshly brewed & very tasty, with caffeine-like jolt that went straight to Mimi's brain. But instead of sharpening her perceptions, this coffee made everything grow fuzzy. She didn't even know how long he kissed her before a wolf-like whistle from one of the carpet-delivery guys drew his attention, and Matt slowly raised his head & let her go.

Not long, she thought, because her blood vessels couldn't have stood the pressure. A soft pat on her butt made Mimi jump & wheel around…but it was only Ella, quietly objecting to the fact that no one was paying attention to her at the moment. The baby grinned & held up her arms, begging to be picked up.

"I probably shouldn't have done that," Matt said. He leaned over to Nikko & released the safety harness to take him out of the stroller.

Mimi, feeling a little shaky, steadied herself against the SUV for a moment before she lifted Ella. "Why not?" She was proud of herself. Her voice was lower than usual, but it didn't crack. "It was no big deal. And if your goal is to keep Jun Motomiya off balance, I'd say that probably did it." _It certainly made me off balance_.

"I must say I like having Jun worried about me," Matt mused. "As long as she thinks you're trying to snag me, as she so elegantly phrased it…"

"She's less likely to be bugging you about walls." Mimi nodded. "Right, so was that enough of a show, or do you want to wait five minutes till the carpet-delivery guy has spread the gossip through the entire construction site & then do a second act?"

Matt paused & tipped his head to one side, contemplating. "If you think it's a good idea, I'm willing to play along."

_No, not a good idea at all_. The very idea made her brain feel a little hazy. Of course, Mimi told herself, she should have known he'd call that bluff…just as certainly as she knew that he was bluffing right not, himself. If she challenged him, he'd just laugh. So that was exactly what she should do…dare him to kiss her again…& that would be the end of the game.

Wouldn't it? Surely he wouldn't think she wanted him to kiss her…Confused, she waited just an instant too long to speak up.

Matt put Nikko into his car seat & turned back to her with a smile. "Are you trying to think about it, Mimi?" He murmured. "That's interesting."

"Think about what?" Mimi tried to sound unconcerned. His smile widened.

She handed Ella to him & tried to fold the stroller up, with minimal success. "How on earth does Sora manage this on her own?"

"Are you changing the subject?" Matt asked. "Here, I'll get it."

But he didn't push the matter. He let it drop & talked about other things on the drive from Warrington to his office, which only confirmed, Mimi told herself, that she'd been right in the first place. He just wanted to amuse himself.

She'd better keep a close eye on him. As far as she knew, he'd gone four days without so much as a glimpse of a tall skinny model. The man was going to start feeling desperate soon, & then there was no predicting what he might do.

"Penny for your thoughts," Matt said.

Mimi jumped. "Why?" Too late, she realized she sounded panicky.

"Because we've been here in the parking lot for over a minute & you haven't noticed yet…so whatever's occupying your mind must be far more interesting."

"Oh, no…I was just…this is where your office is?" She never had any reason to wonder where his business was located & the sight of the sprawling two-story warehouse startled her.

"You probably thought I operated in a storage shed somewhere."

That was true enough, not that she'd admit it. "I had no idea you'd need so much room."

"I probably don't, but it's central and easy to get in & out of, and we can park all the construction trailers inside at once if we need to."

"All of them?" she asked blankly. "How many crews do you have working?"

"In the average week, six."

"You mentioned a kitchen in Mission Hills, but I thought…"

"That I probably couldn't handle more than a couple of jobs at a time, & that's why Jun Motomiya's been frustrating me so much." It wasn't a question.

"Sorry," Mimi said.

"That reminds me, though. I haven't checked on the Mission Hills job in almost a week. I need to see it in one of these days."

"Do whatever you need to. We're just along for the ride. I must say it's nice to have a chauffer, though. Having these two tag along in the supermarket yesterday…& carrying all the bags…was quite a trick."

"It'll be nice when they're walking," Matt said as he carried the twins out of the SUV.

"Oh, really? I already know what I'm getting Sora for their birthday."

"Wet suits so she can just run them through the car wash after they eat?"

"Matt, that's totally barbaric! I was thinking more of a pair of leashes."

"Good idea, I'll get the rhinestone-studded collars."

"I wasn't talking about dog leashes, for heaven's sake." Mimi saw him grin & bit her tongue.

Inside the office, a gray-haired woman was running envelopes through a postage machine. Mimi was a little bit surprised at the sight. If she expected Matt to have a secretary at all, she would have expected someone young, curvy & gorgeous, not a woman who was definitely past middle age. But then perhaps Matt figured out that stunning models made better girlfriends than secretaries.

"Nora's my office manager," Matt said.

Nora was staring at the twins. "Either I'm seeing double or there are two of them today."

"Better get your eyes checked, Nora. This is Mimi. I've been teaching her some practical things this morning." Matt smiled at Mimi.

Mimi blinked in surprise. Surely he wasn't talking about that ridiculous kiss…She could feel her face heating up. Then it dawned on her that he was just quoting the young couple at her office this morning. _That's how Mimi knows all the practical things about houses_…They assumed she learned it from associating with Matt. She felt like sticking her tongue out at him.

"Nora, would you dig out those rough floor plans for the Motomiya house? Mimi wants to look at them."

Nora handed him a stack of messages & swiveled her chair around to a file cabinet behind her desk.

Matt looked through the notes. "There are a couple of things I need to deal with here, Mimi. It wouldn't take that long. There's a table through there to spread the plans out on, but watch out for Nikko, okay? He likes to eat them." He shifted Ella on his shoulder like a bag of rice & strode of toward his office.

"I'd offer to help out," Nora said as she flipped through the files, "but the little guy doesn't seem to like me."

Indeed, Mimi could feel Nikko's fingers digging into her shoulders. He might be tiny, but he was incredibly strong. He was peeking out at Nora, keeping a steady eye on her, as if he expected her to jump up & grab him away. "So that's how Matt got the scratches on his neck."

"You thought he'd been playing around with a woman?"

Now Mimi's face felt hot. "Of course not, I mean…it wouldn't be any of my business if he did."

Nora turned around with a pile of papers in her hand. She didn't comment, but she looked skeptical. _He's not irresistible, you know,_ Mimi wanted to say. _I've been resisting him quite efficiently._ Except that it wasn't quite true. That kiss this morning had been an eye-opener. It would be no wonder, really, if women lined up to let Matt walk on them.

She took the plans & went into the conference room. Matt said they weren't actually blueprints, only rough drawings of the house…so she expected sketches that he made on the site as he walked through, or perhaps something that he'd quickly drawn from memory. Instead, these were careful, analytical drawings, with every room labeled, every element in precise proportion, & every significant measurement marked. From these drawings, she could almost rebuild Jun Motomiya's house…if she had the necessary construction skills.

She pulled a chair up & began to study the layout. The rooms were nicely sized & Matt was right about the kitchen…it was huge…and there was a formal dining room & a library near the front door which would serve beautifully as an office.

In short, it had just about everything Willis Harrison was looking for. "Damn," she said.

Nikko waved his arms & complained at being held and after a quick glance around to be sure there were nothing that could change him, Mimi set him on the floor & turned her attention back to the plans.

She didn't hear Matt until he was standing beside her. "How are the drawings?"

"Terrible."

"Really? I thought they were pretty clear, myself." He put Ella down on the floor with Nikko.

"Oh, they're clear, all right. You've got a very good draftsman."

"Thanks."

There was something about the tone of his voice which made her look at him closely. "You did this yourself?"

"It's a dobby of mine. Have you found the flaw yet?"

"In the house? No," Mimi said slowly. "What have I missed?"

"Heck if I know. You told me you could find one so Willis wouldn't want the house."

"That was the goal," Mimi said gloomily. "But judging by the peek I got this morning & the floor plan…I'm afraid he'll love it."

"I suppose you could tell him that Jun set an outrageous price."

"That wouldn't be ethical." She planted both elbows on the drawing & looked again, hoping to find something she overlooked before."

"Plus you're afraid that no matter how expensive it was, he'd agree to pay it, & then you'd really be in trouble."

Mimi nodded. "I'll be on thin ice if I take him to see it without telling Jun why." She folded up the drawings. "Thanks for letting me look. At least I know what I'm up against."

"You have till Sunday night to form a plan. So let's take your mind off it for a while. Let's see…we could go to the zoo."

"You're joking."

"Don't you think the kids are up for a stroll to look at the animals?'

"Probably…but I know darn well I'm not. It's not even lunchtime yet & I'm exhausted. I was thinking more about a nap this afternoon." She heard a distinct sniff from the outer office, which left no doubt that Nora, had put her personal interpretation on that comment. Before Matt could add his own spin, Mimi went on calmly, "Anyway, I thought you needed to go check on your job in Mission Hills."

"If you don't mind."

"I'd like to see it."

"With kids in tow? Some other day would do."

_Some other day._ It was casual & careless…as if there would be many other times for her to see his work. And why not, Mimi asked herself. If they were going to be friends after all this was over, then of course she'd be recommending him to clients & maybe visiting job sites to see how things were going.

If that was a good thing, why did it leave her feeling just a little bit empty? But she didn't have time to think about it. From the corner of her eye, she could see Nikko start to pull himself up next to a stainless steel cart in the corner of the room. His little hand stretched up toward the shiny coffee urn on top of the stand, & her heart almost stopped. She checked the floor before she put him down, but it didn't occur to her to survey every piece of furniture in the room.

Mimi moved so fast that her chair went flying. She stepped over Ella, who was on her way to join her twin, & before Nikko could touch the hot urn, she caught him under her arms & scooped him up out of danger.

He giggled, but looked longingly over her shoulder. "Hot," Mimi told him. "Your fingers will hurt if you touch it."

Matt picked up her chair & set it back in place by the conference table. "Good catch, are you finished with the plans?"

In the main room, Nora had gone back to stamping envelopes. "You know, boss," she said mildly, "if the number of kids you bring to work with you keeps doubling every couple of days like this, we're going to be knee-deep in babies by the end of next week. Won't that be fun?"

"You can start a day-care in the back room," Matt said over his shoulder & held the door for Mimi. "You'd really take inspecting a kitchen over going to the zoo?"

"If those are the choices, yes. Oh…can we stop in the Plaza? It's almost on the way."

"Sure, where do you need to go?"

"I just need to pay my bills at the Liv-Royale store. It'll just take a minute, if you want to drop me off & drive around the block."

But despite the popularity of the open air shopping district, there was a parking place just down the street from the huge department store, directly across the carriage-ride concession.

"Look, there are a couple of carriages out," Matt said. "I thought they only ran on weekends at this time of year."

Nikko bounced in his seat, pointed at the nearest horse & announced, "Dog!"

Matt looked at him in the rearview mirror. "I suggest you not even consider applying to veterinarian school, champ."

Mimi laughed & Nikko frowned as if his feelings were hurt. "I'm sorry, darling," she said.

"Quite all right," Matt said lightly.

"I wasn't apologizing to you," Mimi pointed out. "I'll be right back."

"Don't hurry."

When she came back, he carried the twins across the street to look at the horses. Mimi went to join them.

"You're out of breath," Matt said.

"I took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.'

"Didn't want to miss this, hmm? It's not quite as electrifying as the zoo, but it'll do. How about a ride?"

Nikko protested at being removed from nose-patting distance, while Ella seemed relieved to be away from the huge animal. Mimi climbed into the old-fashioned black carriage, & Matt handed the twins up to her before getting in himself. The carriage started with a jolt & settled into a plodding pace.

"You know, I don't remember ever seeing that fountain," Mimi said, pointing to a statue in a reflecting pool on the corner. "Is it new?"

Matt shook his head. "It's been here since about the time the Plaza was built. But when you drive through here, you're generally thinking about traffic & not the sights." He settled Ella comfortably on his knee.

He was right, Mimi thought. "Sometimes, I've been irritated at the carriages for holding things up," she admitted.

Matt smiled at her. "There's nothing wrong with slowing the pace a little now & then."

With a half-conscious sigh, she settled back into the corner of the carriage to enjoy the ride. It was a beautiful summer day, warm & sunny, and the slow movement of the carriage created just a slight cooling breeze.

Nikko waved energetically & said, "Damn!"

Mimi stared at the baby in shock. "Did he just say what I think I heard? I've been talking to him all week…how could he possibly pick out the one word that he's not supposed to repeat?"

"Maybe because you saying it reinforced the fact that he heard it while I was working on the dishwasher."

"But the child's entire vocabulary consists of six words."

"Really, he talks that much?"

"So why does the one that comes out sounding clear have to be the one…"

"Give it up, Mimi. The more you try to stop it, the more delighted he'll be to show off & say it."

She sighed & relaxed again. People on the sidewalk noticed the twins, & Nikko happily waved bye-bye. "You are such a flirt," Mimi accused. She looked over his head at the crowd, blinked, & looked again. Could it be?"

"What's the matter?" Matt said.

Mimi turned her head away & sat Nikko up a little higher on her lap. "Nothing, I just saw someone I know."

Matt cast an eye over the crowd. "You mean Joe Kudo?"

She was startled. "You know him, too?"

"Sure, contractors spend almost as much time at the bank as real-estate people do. If I'm not borrowing money to start a job, I'm helping my customer get a home-equity loan to pay for it."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"So, why are you hiding from Joe? Do you owe him money, too?" His tone was lazy.

"I'm not hiding from him."

Matt's eyes narrowed. "It certainly looks like it. You're using Nikko as a shield. What's the matter, Mimi?"

"Nothing, really. I'd rather not have Joe asking questions right now."

"Why? Don't tell me you're ashamed to tell him why you've got possession of two babies."

"Of course not, just…"

"Oh, I see, he's the banker you're dating."

_The banker I used to be dating_, she almost said. But she stopped herself in time. She wasn't about to explain that Joe was annoyed at her for not returning his calls & she was annoyed with him for thinking that he had the right to know where she was all the time. She wasn't sure yet exactly how much she was going to tell Joe, but one thing was dead certain…whatever she did, it was none of Matt's concern.

But somehow, just seeing Joe…being reminded of that particular piece of unfinished business…had taken the edge off her joy in the ride.

**

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**

AN: I was actually planning on making this a cliffy chapter, but I didn't want to disappoint you, guys. Anyways, Mimi's having major problems right now. First there was Jun's house, next was Willis Harrison, & then there was Joe, & she's still confused about her feelings for Matt. Will she ever get out of this mess? Stay tuned to fins out.

Don't forget to review!


	15. Chapter 15

Hi, guys! Have you heard about our Pope? Sad isn't it? I was watching the news a while ago & I can't help but cry…just a short cry for I am mourning with millions of people around the world for the death of our Pope. Please pray for him.

Anyways, Sora & Tai are back in this chapter. Meaning, that they've come home and Matt & Mimi's days with the twins is finally over, but that doesn't mean their days together is over, too. Oh, just go on & read it. Don't forget to review!

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

They were well on the way home before Mimi noticed the route Matt was taking. "I thought you were going to stop in Mission Hills."

He glanced in the mirror to look at the twins. "I'll do it some other time. The kids are starting to look cranky. After all that fresh air," Matt went on, "it would probably be smarter to get a bit of food into them & put them down for a nap, not drag them through another construction site."

She couldn't exactly argue with that. In any case, she already said once that she wanted to see his kitchen project, so it would hardly be polite to insist.

Nikko went to sleep in his high chair, his face dropping onto the tray. Mimi had to brush chunks of ham & cheese off his cheek when she picked him up. Ella clung & wanted to be rocked, but in a matter of minutes, she fell asleep too.

When Mimi tiptoed out of the twins' room, there was no sound in the house. She noticed the garage door was open, so she steeped out onto the driveway. "Matt? Do you want some lunch?"

He came out of the garage, pushing a battered lawn mower; a small gas can in one hand. "Maybe after I finish the lawn, it's getting a little shaggy & who knows what it will look like by the time Tai gets home." He bent over the mower to fill the tank.

"If you need help…"

"Are you offering to take turns pushing the mower?"

"Not exactly," Mimi said, tongue firmly in cheek. "I'll send Nikko out when he wakes up. I'm sure he'll be happy to eat all the grass."

There were a million things Mimi should be doing: reviewing the listings, do some paperwork, & call some clients. Instead she baked chocolate chip cookies, & when the first pan came out of the oven, she clipped the baby monitor to her belt & took a tall glass of milk and a plate outside to Matt.

The mowing was almost done & the sharp scent of cut grass mingled with the aroma of chocolate & butter as Mimi crossed the lawn to the back fence towards Matt. He'd taken his shirt off & hung it on a fence post while he worked.

She'd seen him bare-chested that morning in the bedroom, when the comforter slid down, but this was different. In the sunlight his skin gleamed & his muscles rippled rhythmically as he pushed the mower back & forth. He looked up & smiled, and Mimi's head began to spin again just as it had that morning in Jun Motomiya's driveway when he kissed her.

In the space of a few days, they've gone form near-strangers to sharing laughter, jokes, & the duties & the joys in an easy, almost intimate way. She was going to miss this, when it was all over & life got back to normal. _If,_ her conscience whispered, _it would ever be normal again._

**

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**

Mimi took a long bubble bath after the babies were tucked in for the night, & argued with herself until the water grew cold about what she should say to Matt regarding sleeping arrangements. She didn't exactly want to seem eager for him to join her in the bedroom. And what she _really_ didn't want was for the two of them to retire at the same time, like some long-married couple, to lie next to each other in the dark until sleep overtook them.

Waking up next to him had been one thing. It hadn't been her idea, & by the time she realized what was going on, the episode was practically done. But going to sleep next to him…well, that was another thing altogether.

Matt was sitting at the dinning room table with a laptop computer & he barely looked up when she came in.

"Playing solitaire?" she asked lightly. "Or doing something more exciting?"

"Figuring a bid, at least I'm doing the preliminaries so the next time I'm in the office without a twin to keep me company, I can actually produce a materials list & a final price."

"It's been a long week all the way around," Mimi said. "I'm going to bed. I just wanted to say…well…"

"I won't disturb you, Mimi."

"No, that's not…I mean, we're partner's, right? We need each other & we both need our sleep. It's no big deal." She didn't wait for an answer.

It was hours later when an ear-shattering scream from the twins' room woke Mimi straight up…but Matt was already standing beside Nikko's crib when she arrived. Nikko's eyes were wide & staring vacantly, & Matt looked as if he'd prefer to be anywhere but here.

"It's okay," she said. "He has night terrors once in a while."

"You mean nightmares?"

"Sort of, but worse, it's more like the way a sleepwalker reacts. His eyes are open but he's not aware of anything."

"You've seen this before?"

She nodded & reached into the crib to carefully pick up the baby. "He had one the first night I stayed here. Hand me that blanket, would you?"

Matt got a lightweight blanket from the back of the rocking chair & Mimi wrapped Nikko in it & carried him out of the room. She wasn't quick enough, however, for Ella also woke up & started to cry.

Nikko's shrieks died into sobs, but no matter what Mimi did, he seemed to be completely inconsolable. Finally she took him into her bedroom & lay down with him on her chest, his ear against her heart, rubbing his back. The bed side clock said it was just past three in the morning. Matt appeared in the doorway a minute later, with Ella in his arms. She reached out for her twin.

"You might as well stretch out & be comfortable," Mimi said. "Nikko's not going to settle down completely for a while & Ella won't be happy if she can't see him."

Matt muttered something under his breath, tucked the comforter around Mimi & Nikko, and lay down beside them. Ella stretched a hand out from her perched on his chest & let it rest on Nikko's shoulder. Mimi felt herself drifting off as the rhythmic motion of rubbing soothed her just as it did Nikko.

The room was gray with dawn when she woke up, lying on her side with Nikko tucked up against her. He was starting to move around as he began to wake up. "Oh, honey," she said groggily, "just a little longer, okay?" Then she sniffed. The scent of coffee was drifting through the half-open bedroom door. Matt must already be up, then…

But he wasn't. He was still right there beside her, sound asleep, with Ella nestled close on his chest. The door opened wider, & Mimi thought for an instant she was hallucinating as the last person she expected came into the room, carrying a tray. "Good morning, sleepyheads," Sora said cheerfully. "Are you decent?"

Maybe, Mimi told herself hopefully, she was having one heck of a nightmare, & Sora wasn't actually standing there at all. For one thing, Mimi couldn't seem to move. Not a single muscle would respond to her desperate urging…even her eyelids seemed to be frozen.

Matt was flat on his back in the middle of the bed with Ella lying on her tummy on his chest, her knees drawn up under her. Mimi on her side, her back nestled against Matt & Nikko cradled protectively in the curve of her arm. The comforter tucked snugly around all of them. And was Sora, standing beside the bed with a tray containing two steaming cups…

_Maybe I'm dead_, Mimi thought, _and that's why I'm having an out-of-body experience._

Sora took a step closer, & that was when Mimi realized that things could, indeed, get worse. Right behind Sora was Tai, holding a video camera trained on the foursome in the bed.

_I'll confess…I'll confess anything, just turn the lights off!_

"Hey, this is great," Tai said. "This piece of video will be a terrific hit at the wedding reception."

Mimi's heart stopped. "Wedding?" she croaked. "What are you talking about?"

Matt groaned & rolled toward Mimi. Ella started to slide off his chest, & he clapped a hand onto the bay's back and held her in place. But he didn't open his eyes. "The twins' wedding," he said. "Tai's already planning a most-awkward-moments video to show at the rehearsal dinners. He won't admit it, but I think the plan is to threaten them with so much mortification that they'll elope instead of planning big expensive ceremonies."

_Oh great, _Mimi told herself, _how stupid are you?_ For a minute there, she actually wondered if Tai thought their presence in the same bed was some sort of declaration of intentions. Nobody in their right mind would believe there was anything romantic going on here…not with a pair of year-old babies as chaperones.

With a sort of snap, Mimi's muscles finally came back under her control. She sat up, inching away from Matt onto her own side of the bed. _Let's start over. Act casual,_ she ordered herself. _Treat it as if this is no big deal…because it isn't._ "Uh…hi, Sora. Tai. When did you get home?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Sora said. "They finally brought the ship into port last night & said they would make arrangements today to get everyone back home."

"I see," Mimi said.

"So we packed as fast as we could, talked our way past the deck crew, grabbed the first cab we saw & headed for the airport." Sora smiled. "It was sort of like a spy thriller, actually…grabbing the last seats on a plane & flying across the continent in the wrong direction in order to make a connecting flight. Do you know how hard it is to travel across the country in the middle of the night?"

"The adventure doesn't seem to have hurt you any," Mimi said. "You look great, rested, tanned…"

"We couldn't do anything for a whole eek but lie around on deck."

"On deck?" Matt muttered. "What's the matter with you, Tai? With a handy excuse like the need to avoid infection, you didn't stay locked in the cabin for the whole week?"

Sora flashed a smile at him. "Well, we managed to stay away from the blasted virus, if that satisfies you, Matt. anyway, by the time we could get to a phone to tell you we were on the way, it was so late that we decided to just wait & surprise you."

Matt sat up. Ella grumbled & cuddled a little closer. "Well, you managed that all right," he said.

"Yes, I see." Sora's gaze flitted once more over the foursome in the bed. "I do hope you haven't been letting them sleep with you all week."

"Nope," Matt said lazily. "Last night was a special treat for all of us. I'll swap you a baby for a cup of that coffee. Or did you bring it for Nikko & Ella?"

"Oh…of course." Sora set the tray between them on the comforter & reached across Mimi to pick up Ella. The baby grimaced, stretched, opened her eyes, looked straight at her mother…and started to cry.

"Sweetheart," Sora said, sounding heartbroken, "it's Mommy!"

"Remember her, Ella?" Matt said lazily. "She's the woman who abandoned you." He cradled a mug in his hand & lounged back against the pillows.

"That's not funny, Matt."

"Well, you must admit that's how it appears from her point of view. Give her back to me for a minute so she can look at you from a distance & get over the shock."

Ella's cries had awakened Nikko, who blinked & looked around as if uncertain here he was. He spotted Sora, tipped his head to one side & said sweetly, "Damn!"

Mimi put her hands over her ears. Sora started to giggle & sat down hard on the foot of the bed, Ella still wiggling wildly in her arms. Mimi hadn't picked up her mug from the tray yet; the cup slid as the mattress bounced & coffee surged over the rim, puddle on the tray & began to ooze over the edge & onto the comforter. She grabbed for the mug & mopped up as much of the mess as she could with the tail of her t-shirt. Nikko, jolted by her fast movement, started to wail. Tai swung the camera around so he wouldn't miss an instant.

"Great moments in modern film," Matt said lazily. "Now that we've won our place in movie history, Mimi, let's get out of the way & leave these people to get reacquainted." He rolled out of bed without spilling a drop of his coffee, though Mimi's cup sloshed threateningly again. "Real life is out there waiting."

He was gone before Mimi finished packing her clothes.

**

* * *

**

The interrupted night, topped off by the morning's shock and the sudden lifting responsibility, combined to leave Mimi feeling groggy & bleary-eyed. _Real life is still out there waiting._ It was true enough, but that didn't make the readjustment any easier. By the time she got to work, she still felt as is she was sleepwalking.

Izzy poked his head into her cubicle. "Is it only wishful thinking, or have you forgotten your little helper? Now maybe we can get some work done around here. How are you doing with Willis Harrison?"

Mimi reached into her desk drawer for an aspirin, but she had a feeling she was going to need a whole lot more than just one before the day was over.

She frowned when she suddenly thought about Joe. Maybe it's better to get it over with right away. She liked Joe…she just wasn't wild about this newly possessive attitude of his. A few dates didn't give them that kind of intimate claim on each other. After all, she didn't call him & ask if he'd help her out with the babies. _If we were serious about each other, it would have been a different thing entirely._

She wondered, only half humorously, what he would say if she told him that the other man in her life…the one who had been absorbing most her time lately…was just short of a year old. That he & his twin sister, and their godfather, had become the center of her world for a few days, and now that the adventure was all over she was feeling lost & lonely. She was missing the babies…

But even more than the twins, she was missing Matt. In just a week, she had grown attached to the babies…but she had grown to _love_ Matt.

_You didn't ask Joe for help with the babies. Instead you asked Matt._

For most of the morning, Mimi tried to argue herself out of it. This just couldn't be happening to her. It had all been an accident…this feeling of intimacy, of important things shared…& she could not possibly have been crazy enough to fall in love with Yamato Ishida.

Simply being in the same house for days on end, in such an intimate & domestic situation, was what had put the idea into her mind in the first place. The idea of falling in love with him would probably never even occur to her again…because she wasn't interested in Matt…not really. Not in any serious way.

_After this is over, maybe we can be friends,_ she told him once. And that was exactly what she meant. There had been nothing romantic about her feelings…because if there had been, Matt would have sensed it.

No, it was all her imagination working, cause of exhaustion & propinquity. She'll get over it. At least, she'd better get over it…and fast. Or else he'll make sure that she would never catch a glimpse of him again.

**

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**

AN: At last, Mimi realizes that she likes Matt…no, scratch that, she LOVES Matt. But does Matt share the same feeling? On the next chapter, Mimi will find out about Matt's BIG secret…and it won't be good, thanks to a certain person who spills it. Please review!

**Satarow-raven** – I'm very flattered, thank you. Keep R&R!** kaye** – I'm actually working on a another Mimato fic. It's gonna be awesome! I'm going to give you, guys, a glimpse of it before this story ends. **Janay** – yeah, Nikko is the naughty, flirty, hyper twin (like Tai) and Ella is the quiet, serious, responsible twin (much like Sora). Aren't they adorable?


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks for the reviews! I'm so happy to hear that most of you like my story. I'm actually working on a new one right now, & hopefully, I'll be able to post it once PB is done. I'm going to give you a sneak peak by the end of the last chapter.

**Just4reviews** – don't worry, it's all right. Anyways, the dinner which was supposed to be on Saturday was postponed, but I guess you already know that. Sunday will be the housewarming party at Jun's house & Matt & Mimi will go together, with Willis tagging along. **Sashimi** – I'm glad you like it! Keep R&R! **riven** – you're pretty awesome, thanks! **BetterDeadThanAlone** – hehehe! I'm glad you're back!

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

By sheer willpower, Mimi managed to finish the Tatsumorus' paperwork before noon. she was on her way downtown to the bank to drop everything off when she found herself in the warehouse district &...on an impulse she couldn't explain...stopped at Matt's office.

She knew that the chances of Matt being there was slim. She'd probably have a better chance of finding him at Jun Motomiya's house, trying frantically to finish up the last-minute work before Sunday's housewarming party. Or he might be out in Mission Hills supervising work on the fancy new kitchen.

But she could still accomplish her purpose. She could leave a message for him with his secretary; that was the most important thing. She could prove to herself once & for all that this crazy sensation wasn't real the very suspicion of being in love with him was uncomfortable, & a bit scary.

Then she could go back to business as usual. She could see him at Jun's party, share birthday cake when the twins turn one, even swap gossip about his girlfriends with Sora…and it wouldn't bother her.

Everything about the warehouse looked just about the same as it had yesterday, when they came in together, each carrying a twin. Nora was at her desk; the lights were off in the conference room; Matt's office was quiet & the door was half-closed. But despite the similarities, Mimi knew right away that Matt wasn't anywhere around. It was too calm. Yesterday there had been sort of crackle in the air, a feeling of excitement. Or had that crackle been inside her, because she had been with him?

"Hello, Nora," she said. "Will you give Matt a message for me?"

"That's what I'm here for," the secretary said dryly. "Sometimes it seems passing along messages is the only thing I do."

Mimi wasn't about to step into the middle of the friendly squabble over Nora's duties. "The dinner we were supposed to go to tomorrow has been postponed. I'll let him know when it's rescheduled, and would you mind if I look at those drawings again? I wanted to make some notes. I wasn't able to yesterday because of the baby."

Without a word, Nora pulled the file from the cabinet & handed it over. As Mimi took it into the conference room, the door of Matt's office opened wider.

Mimi was startled…not only by the movement but by the fact that she was surprised. She had been so certain that he wasn't there…so positive that if he was in the building; she would have felt his presence. _But that's good news_, she told herself firmly.

It wasn't Matt who came out of the office, however, but a thin-looking blonde in tailored black suit. Her slim-cut slacks & high-heeled boots made her look about seven feet tall. Mimi went on into the conference room.

The blonde said to Nora, "So that's the woman he's been playing house with." It didn't sound like a question & the secretary didn't answer. "Well, at least he's got baby dolls out of his system."

_It's just as well that I cancelled that dinner, _Mimi thought. She wondered if Matt would even have remembered to go. Mimi jotted down the measurements of the major rooms in Jun Motomiya's house & made rough sketches of the main floor. Then she returned the file to Nora & tucked her notes into her briefcase. Behind her, the office door opened. She glanced over her shoulder.

But even if she wasn't able to see Matt beyond the plate glass, the surge of electricity in her bones would have warned Mimi who was there…Matt. He only kissed her once, for heaven's sake…why on earth was she vibrating just because the man set foot within a hundred yards?

_Because you've been fooling yourself. Because you were right the first time. Because you're in love with him._ She turned around slowly.

"Mimi, what brings you here? Have you decided to build a new development?"

"No more than you've had a sudden urge to buy a house in the suburbs."

He grinned. "You're right; I'll keep my loft instead. When shall I pick you up?" She must have looked a little blank, for he went on, "For dinner tomorrow."

"Oh…actually, that's the reason why I came. It's been put off till another time." Mimi closed the clasps of her briefcase. "I didn't think you'd mind. Besides, you must have plenty to do to get everything finished at Ms. Motomiya's house."

"Just because she wants every detail finished doesn't mean it'll happen. Hurrying around to complete a job is asking for trouble."

So if he hadn't been rushing off to work at Jun Motomiya's house, what had been his hurry this morning? _Three guesses, Mimi,_ she told herself drearily. _He couldn't wait to get away from you, & the babies, & the whole situation. He was tired of playing with baby dolls…playing house._

"That's too bad," he said. "I was looking forward to it."

It was like picking at a scab, but Mimi couldn't stop herself. "To what, the possibility remodeling their house?"

"To the dinner. I liked your friends, Mimi. They seemed like an interesting couple."

The blonde quietly opened the door of Matt's office again, & she was leaning easily against the doorjamb, her arms folded over her chest, her ankles crossed in a pose worthy of a magazine cover. "Hi, Matt." Her voice was much lower & more sultry than when she was talking to Nora. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Matt didn't miss a beat. "Ingrid, this is my friend Mimi."

_Friend._ Mimi went through the motions, smiling & shaking hands.

The blonde showed so many pure white teeth that she looked like a shark. She moved away from the door to stand beside Matt. "I'm sure you won't mind if we don't stay & chat," she murmured to Mimi, "but we have a table reserved for lunch." She let her hand slide slowly & intimately down the inside of his sleeve to rest on his elbow.

_Reserved where?_ Mimi wanted to ask. _With some hotel's room service?_ "Of course I don't mind," she said. "I'm running late myself…I'm on my way to the bank."

"Tell Joe I said hi," Matt said.

"I'll do that. Thanks, Nora."

Mimi's car was parked closer to the door than Matt's SUV, & with an almost automatic gesture he opened the driver's door for her as they passed. "You're acting a bit strange."

"Just tired, I guess." She sat behind the wheel, watching from the corner of her eye as he helped the blonde into the SUV.

Acting a bit strange, was she? _Face it head-on_, Mimi told herself. _It isn't going to help a bit to dodge the truth._ Days ago, before she realized what was really happening to her, she invited Matt to be her friend…& he accepted it.

It was just her bad luck that suddenly she wanted to be much more than friends.

**

* * *

**

Jun Motomiya's house looked like a magazine spread on the night Mimi had first driven Willis Harrison past…the night he lost his mind & fell in love with it. But on the evening of Jun's housewarming party, it looked even better.

There wasn't so much as a leaf out of place, or a blade of grass at the wrong angle. The entire lot glowed; every shrub on the property must have been wired with soft spotlights. Mimi noticed that the bulbs had a faint pink cast which made the house look slightly surreal, as if it was floating in a sunset-colored cloud. She made a mental note to remember that trick.

But for now, she knew she had to focus on Willis Harrison. As she parked her car around the corner from the big Mediterranean house, she took a long look at Willis in the passenger seat. "Remember," she prompted, "you're going to a party…that's all. You are not touring the house to decide whether you want to buy it."

He frowned.

Mimi smothered a sigh & tried once again to explain the fine points. "It's perfectly legitimate for me to ask you to escort me to a party," she said. "And if you happen to look around the house & decide you like it, it's perfectly all right for me to call the owner tomorrow, tell her I'm in real estate & ask if she'd like to sell it. But it's not all right for me to take you through a house that the owner doesn't want to show. So don't forget…we're only going to a party."

_In hope that you'll hate the house & that will be the end of it,_ she added. Of course, telling Willis that would probably only make him want it even more.

"The whole idea tonight is just to see whether you're interested or not," she said. "So don't go prying into closets or checking out the size of the medicine cabinets. All that can come later."

He didn't look convince. A tap on the car window beside her made Mimi jump, & she turned to see Matt bending down beside the car. She lowered the window.

"Are coming inside or chickening out?" he asked.

Mimi looked past him. At least there was no blonde, or model, attached to his arm tonight. Not that it would matter if he had brought someone, she told herself. She would behave just the same, whether he was alone or not.

She'd been through all this while she was getting dressed. No more _acting a bit strange_, as he had put it on Friday. She must…she would…get herself back to normal. Back to the way things had been before that week out of time had changed everything for her.

So she smiled at him & said, "I thought you were bringing the X-ray equipment so we could just sit here in the car & look through the wall. But since you seem to have let me down, I guess we'll have to come in." She slid out of the car, not realizing that Matt had stepped aside barely far enough to let her stand. She was practically toe to toe with him.

The closeness & the light scent of his aftershave made her feel a little bit dizzy, & Mimi had to take a hold of herself. "Willis doesn't seem to quite get the ethics of the situation yet," she said softly.

Matt nodded. "I'll try to intercept if he starts to talk to anyone."

_And that will keep both of you busy,_ Mimi thought, _so I can relax a bit_.

Throngs of people streamed up the sidewalk toward the house. What Jun called housewarming party looked more like a gathering for a major sporting event, except that everyone was dressed up. Strains of classical music wafted from the open main doorway, where a butler in white tie & tails stood, directing traffic. "The ladies' cloakroom is upstairs to the right," he told Mimi with a tiny bow. "Gentlemen, upstairs to the left."

Which meant that they could get a pretty good glimpse of the entire upper floor, Mimi thought. How very sweet of Jun to arrange it so easily. At the tope of the stairs, she stood on her toes to whisper into Matt's ear. "I'll meet you right back here in ten minutes. Try to make sure Willis doesn't go prying behind closed door, all right?"

When she came back, Matt was lounging at the top of the stairs while Willis was standing where he could get a good look now & then into the guest room the ladies were using.

"He looks like a Peeping Tom," she muttered to Matt. "Come on, let's go downstairs. You know, Jun didn't strike me as the type who would hire a string quartet."

"Hire them, yes. Enjoy them, no."

"Well, maybe you're right." Mimi went to retrieve Willis. "Matt & I are going to circulate lowly through the whole house," she said. "If you follow behind, you can get a good look at everything because we'll be a sort of screen for you. You don't have to talk to anybody, you don't have to think…just look. But stay close, all right?" She laid a hand on his elbow & urged him downstairs.

Before they crossed the main hallway to the big living room, Mimi counted three couples to whom she sold houses in the neighborhood. And Matt had his own crowd of clients & acquaintances to greet.

Matt stopped a waiter with a tray full of champagne glasses. Mimi sipped & chatted & tried not to look at house itself. It was all up to Willis now anyway. Either he'd like it or not. If he did, she'd deal with the complication tomorrow, & probably end up knowing a great deal more about the house. If he didn't like it, there was no point in her looking around, drawing attention to herself.

While Matt was talking to a long-time customer, Mimi let her gaze veer across the room, & she spotted Joe watching her from near the blazing fireplace. "You didn't tell me Joe was going to be here," she said under her breath as soon as Matt's customer had moved off.

"I didn't help make the guest list, princess."

Jun Motomiya herself, wearing a peach taffeta gown & a sort of turban built of feathers, came up just then & gave Matt a playful swat on the wrist with her folded fan. "Don't you look handsome," she said. She leaned around Matt. "And…my goodness…who is this?" She didn't take her eyes off Willis, but she was clearly addressing Mimi. "Your husband? No, you said you didn't have one right now. So what brings this nice man to my party?"

_I'm busted_, Mimi thought. Being caught crashing the party was bad enough, but if Willis slipped why she brought him along… Worse, Matt's customer had returned with one last question & drew him a few steps away to talk to someone else. So Matt was going to be no help at all. Mimi was strictly on her own.

"Willis is new to Odaiba," Mimi said quickly. "Matt & I knew he'd meet the nicest people here."

Jun was holding out a hand to Willis. He dragged his attention from the frieze which decorated the built-in bookcases & turned his attention to the hostess. Mimi heard Jun take in a breath, & abruptly she remembered the effect when she first met Willis and thought she'd walked into an old-time motion picture.

Mimi felt a tap on her shoulder & turned to see Joe. "Oh…hi, sorry, Joe, but I can't talk right now."

Joe didn't seem to hear her. "I thought you told me there was nobody else."

Mimi was aggravated. Hadn't he been listening that night outside her front door? "No," she corrected. "To be precise, I told you that it wasn't really any of your business whether there was or wasn't."

"Oh, yes, that's right." Joe's gaze flickered across the crowd to Matt, who's now standing several feet away & still talking to the customer. "So that's the guy you've chosen, eh?" He shook his head, but his expression seemed to be confused rather than disapproving. "Odd."

Mimi bit her tongue & told herself not to ask, but she couldn't let the remark pass. "I don't know why you'd assume that, just because we happen to be attending the same party. But even if it was true, what would be so odd about it?"

"That you'd go for him," Joe looked directly at her. "The guy who broke up your engagement."

She couldn't believe she heard him correctly. "Matt didn't break up anything. You're misinformed."

"He was there, wasn't he?"

She was suddenly back in the church, on the day that was supposed to have been her wedding day, facing her fiancé…and seeing Matt behind the pillar. "He saw the fight, if that's what you mean. But he didn't cause it."

"Are you sure of that? And you don't know why he was there?"

Mimi was beginning to feel impatient. "He was there because he was his best friend's best man. Tai was getting married that day too, so of course Matt was at the church. Joe, you're not making sense!"

"He made sure he was there to see the effects of his little prank."

"Prank?"

"Yeah, hiring the call girls for your fiancé's bachelor party…excuse me, exotic dancers."

"Joe, he wasn't even at Michael's bachelor party."

"I didn't say he went, I said he sent the girls. Didn't you ever wonder why they showed up?"

Not exactly, Mimi thought. Michael had always sworn he had no idea where the dancers had come from, or why they appeared at his bachelor party. Mimi assumed that his pals had taken up a collection to pay the bill…with the groom's tacit permission. But to associate Matt with the whole affair was outlandish.

"So you didn't know that, did you?" Joe said shrewdly. "But then I'm sure he wasn't eager to tell you about it, considering what happened."

"Or anyone else, I imagine," Mimi said dryly. "So how do you know all this?"

"Tai told me. He thought it was a great practical joke. A harmless, funny little prank…until it ended by breaking up your wedding." Joe sipped his champagne & added meditatively, "So I guess it's no wonder Matt never bothered to tell you what _really_ happened."

**

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**

AN: What will happen now that Mimi discovered Matt's secret? He was the reason why Mimi broke off the wedding…and he didn't even tell her! Find out in the next chapter. (only TWO more chapters left people) Don't forget to review!


	17. Chapter 17

You know that new story I was talking about? Well, I decided to post it on this chapter, & probably on the last chapter, so you guys can see what's in store for you on my next Mimato fic. I got it on this book I've read. (If ever you're wondering, I've read a lot of books & novels. I love to read, but I don't consider myself a bookworm. Reading is just one of my hobbies.)

**Janay** – yup, shocking huh? But it's true, Matt was the one who did it. **mystic** – that's good to hear, & yes, I do have some flamers, but I'm pretty used to it by now. **Pink-writer** – glad to know you like it. Keep R&R! **just4reviews** – I told you I got some stuff left up my sleeves. Anyways, Joe knew Tai because Mimi introduced them…oh, you'll find out in this chapter. I do hope to see you in my next story, actually I placed a small scene at the bottom for you to see if you like it. **Riven, BetterDeadThanAlone** – thanks! You'll find out how Matt reacts to this one. Will he deny the accusations? Read & find out!

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

_He was mistaken,_ Mimi told herself. That was the only possible answer. Joe certainly had not witnessed the confrontation, or hear Michael's feeble explanations. But Mimi had been there, & she knew exactly what did...or didn't...happen.

Yet Joe seemed so sure of himself that she almost doubted her own perceptions. Was it logical to think that this entire tale could have risen out of nothing more than his own jealous feelings? He surely must have had some cause.

_Tai told me…_

That much was possible, Mimi admitted, because Joe indeed knew Tai. Mimi introduced the two of them not long after the double-wedding-that-wasn't, when Tai & Sora first started looking for financing to buy a house.

…_He thought it was a great practical joke._

And she had to concede that was possible, too. Tai was reliable & steady now that he settled down with Sora. There had been a point in his life when he might well have thought that sending a gift package of exotic dancers to a bachelor party was a hilarious trick. Mimi didn't get the humor, but perhaps it was one of those guy things that no woman could ever fully understand.

But to tell another man about it…how well did Tai know Joe, anyway? Well enough to share that kind of back-slapping tale about his best friend? Surely not, unless perhaps Tai himself had been involved, & he was bragging about his own idea rather than Matt's. Maybe Tai only dragged Matt into it to keep Sora from finding out…

This, she thought, was getting much too complicated. The room felt hot, crowded, & noisy. Mimi looked around, hoping to see a path to an open window or a door where she could get a breath of fresh air, & abruptly realized that while she'd been absorbed in Joe's story, Willis vanished.

She wondered for an instant if Jun discovered why he was there & thrown him out. Unlikely, Mimi decided, because if she suspected, Mimi herself would have probably gotten the kick-out right along with him. That should have been a relief, but it left her wondering where he'd gone instead. There were ten rooms in Jun Motomiya's house & Mimi had no idea which direction he'd gone or where to start looking.

Matt appeared beside her. "Sorry that discussion took so long. They like Jun's house so well they're thinking of building one themselves. Where's Willis?"

"I lost him," she admitted.

"How did you lose him? He was right behind us."

"I got so incredibly involved in this story Joe was telling me that I forgot to keep an eye on Willis."

"If it was good enough to take your mind off your client, you'll have to share it sometime."

"If I can remember all the details." She faced Matt squarely. "But perhaps you've already heart it. it was about a bachelor party & a bunch of exotic dancers."

"I hope it had a good punch line." He sounded almost absentminded, & he was looking around as if searching for Willis.

"I was more interested in the cast," Mimi said. "You see, Joe told me you & Tai are the ones who sent the dancers to Michael's bachelor party."

"I wonder what would make him say that."

So it wasn't true after all. But not until relief oozed through Mimi's muscles did she realized how tense the whole thing had made her. How stupid it was for her to get so upset over something Joe told her, something that he so obviously misunderstood. After the way he assumed that a few dates gave him the right to know where she was all the time, she should have known better than to credit anything he said.

And yet…there had been something in matt's voice which set off warning chimes in her head. Surely he should have been shocked by the accusation, not just mildly surprised…

"Because," Matt said levelly, "Tai didn't have anything to do with it."

The words struck her with the force of an explosion. Mimi could feel the carpeted floor rocking under her feet. "Meaning, you…did it?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "Yes, I did."

Joe was right then. He was absolutely right…for he had not accused Tai at all, only Matt. that extra part of the story had come from her own analysis, her own reasoning. _Your own attempt to dilute the responsibility & make excuses for Matt. If his best friend was in it, too, then he didn't seem as guilty._

She took a breath, preparing to slice him with the edge of her tongue, but instead she heard herself asking what must be the stupidest question of all time. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Matt's voice was very low. "You never asked me till now."

"Oh, sure…like I went around asking everyone I knew about who did it!"

"Mimi, come one, I did you a favor."

She pounced. "Then why weren't you eager to stand up & take credit for it? Don't be a hypocrite, Matt."

"Would you have gone ahead & married him if you'd known he didn't hire the call girls himself?"

"I _never_ thought he hired them."

"Then what difference does it make who paid the bill?"

Mimi bit her lip, trying to get it clear in her own mind. However the dancers had gotten to the party, the fact was that Michael had thoroughly enjoyed them. That was the reason she called off the wedding. But that fact didn't make Matt's action innocent & squeaky clean. "Because it was a dirty trick, Ishida."

"No, it wasn't. I provided the temptation, yes. But he's the one who decided to surrender to it."

"Obviously we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. Why did you do it, anyway? You weren't even there to watch the fun."

"You think I'd want to watch him make a fool of himself?"

"Then why bother? Because you were curious? Because it gave you some kind of cheap thrill?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it cheap." He obviously saw her eyes narrow, for he added hastily, "I'm sorry, Mimi. I shouldn't have said that."

"You know precisely what I mean. Having power & playing with people's lives…"

"I didn't make him do anything. I don't know why you're getting so upset about something that's…"

"Don't you dare tell me this is none of my business."

"I was going to say, something that's over & done with. You told me yourself you'd put it all behind you & you didn't want to talk about Michael…or even think about him…any more."

"That was when I thought it was only me we were talking about. Before I knew you were involved." She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the hot prickle of tears. "It was just a joke to you, wasn't it? Like a beer chugging contest. 'Let's see if we can make Michael act like a jackass.' Did you place bets on it? Start a pool about how long he'd hold out?"

"Mimi, come on, you're upset…" He reached out for her arm.

"You bet I am!" She pulled away from him. "When you see Willis again, tell him to take a cab back to the hotel & send me the bill."

She never before realized how much of an advantage it was to be slim, but she could slide through gaps in the crowd that Matt could never fit through. She was out of the front door before he was able to cross the room. She left her jacket in Jun's guest room, & her car felt frigid…or was that just the aftereffect of the shock she had? She was trembling so hard it was difficult to even start the car. But she had to get away from Warrington…get away from Matt.

It would be awful if Matt came after her & found her crying. And it would be even worse if he didn't bother to follow her at all. She drove past the art museum, past the Train station, & past the stark column of the Odaiba Memorial. Finally she parked her car on the plaza beyond the memorial, where she could look at the lights of the city, each turned into a starburst by the tears in her eyes.

So this was the answer. After two years, endless self-questioning, & hundreds of crumpled tissues, she finally knew exactly why she & Michael didn't make it to the altar.

But deep down, it wasn't regret over her failed engagement that was gnawing at her. No matter what the source of his excuse had been, Michael had shown his true colors at the bachelor party. She made the right decision…the only one she could have lived with. Better a short-term embarrassment than a long-term disaster.

What was bothering Mimi was the reason Matt did it. It hadn't been because he cared about her, but because he'd been mildly curious about what would happen if he pulled a few strings. She had fallen in love with a man who looked at her as if she were some sort of laboratory animal. Someone who thought her life was merely an interesting kind of experiment.

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It took effort, but Mimi kept a smile on her face as she helped Sora with the final preparations for the twins' birthday party. There were two cakes to set out, two piles of packages to arrange, two bunches of party hats to assemble, & a limited time to do it all before the babies woke from their nap & the guests started to arrive.

She was standing on a stepladder hanging crepe paper streamers over the dining room table when Sora said casually, "Did Matt tell you he's going to bring over a helium tank to do the balloons?"

It was almost a relief to have it out in the open, because Mimi had been waiting for the mention of his name ever since she arrived. Frankly, she was surprised that Sora was patient for to two hours before indulging her curiosity.

Not that Mimi was going to rise to feeble bait. "He didn't mention it. But then I haven't seen him for a couple of weeks."

She also wanted to say that on the last occasion she had seen Matt, he did not see her. When he came by the real-estate office to drop off the jacket she left at Jun's party, she was standing beside Yolei's desk & spotted his SUV in the parking lot. So she pleaded with Yolei to cover for her, & Mimi went for the ladies room…

"He hasn't been hanging around here much," Sora said. "And when you said you weren't bringing Joe to the party, I thought maybe…"

"You mean you added two & two and got sixteen, right?"

Sora shot a sideways look at Mimi. "You can't blame me for hoping."

Mimi told herself to keep everything casual, to appear relaxed, to react just as she would have a few weeks ago…back when she & Matt were still acquaintances. If she could only remember how things had been back then…

Just acquaintances. But she realized that wasn't quite true. Even in the early days, when she hadn't been paying conscious attention to Yamato Ishida, he'd still drawn her like a magnet. Why should she have cared how he looked at her? Why would she even notice the expression on his face whenever he spotted her?

_Because you were already painfully aware of him_, she admitted._ Because you already wanted him to look at you very differently. Without wariness, without bemusement…and with love._

She kept her voice light, but it took effort. "Cut it out, Sora, or I'll tell Matt you're a Machiavellian matchmaker…that you arranged for that virus to hit the cruise ship, & that you broke the dishwasher on purpose so he'd come over here & spend time with me."

"If I thought it would work," Sora said comfortably, "I might have done exactly that. You'd make a great couple, you know."

_I thought so too…for a while_. Mimi climbed down off the stepladder & inspected her work. "I think that'll do. If we're finished with the ladder, I'll take it back to the garage."

"Yes…& would you bring in the ice cream from the freezer? I told Tai to leave it out there."

Mimi was halfway out the door when she saw that Matt's SUV was in the driveway. He must have arrived while she was decorating. The garage door was open, and he & Tai were inside, filling balloons from a tall tank of helium. Apparently he'd been there for a while because there were already a bunch of balloons piled in a huge box.

And he'd obviously seen her. It was too late to retreat, for it would create far too much interest if she tried to dodge him. So she pasted a smile on her face & went on to the garage.

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AN: Sorry, guys, but I have to cut this chapter short. Don't worry, though, coz the last chapter will be longer. Anyways, there's tension between our favorite couple. You'll find out the real reason why Matt did what he did. Is there a chance that these two could get together? See for yourself on the last chapter. Thanks again for all the support. Love you guys! (FYI: My 18th birhtday's on Saturday! Yay!)

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Here's the NEW story I was telling you about. I'm gonns give you a sneak peak on one of the scenes in the **Bet Gone Wrong** (that's the title!). I hope you like it!...

"_You've had a lot of crazy ideas in your time, but this one definitely gets the award."_

_He folded his arms across his chest & waited._

"_I mean, you & me…a couple? Who's gonna believe that?"_

_He sighed. "Mimi…"_

"_And to suggest that we'd ever be able to fool anyone…I mean, there are days we have difficulty just getting on well enough to still like each other as friends!" She started pacing in front of him._

_He sighed again. "If you'd just…"_

"_We'd have to be able to look at each other without sniggering every two minutes. And as for the kissing thing…" She stopped pacing long enough to waggle a finger at him. "You do realize if we were actually dating we'd be expected to kiss &…well, other stuff like that…"_

_There was a deadly silence as they stared at each other in shock. Matt swallowed hard. "I know that…"_


	18. Chapte 18

Here's the last chapter! First of all, I want to thank you for being such great & amazing readers, and for supporting my story till the end. You don't know how much this means to me. I never thought that PB would be such a great success! You're the best and I love you all! As you know, I'm working on this new story, but it won't be up till next week. And I do hope to see you again in **Bet Gone Wrong** (that's the title of my new Mimato fic)...till then, enjoy!

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

Matt tied a knot in the neck of a balloon & reached for the stepladder, easily hanging it back on the ceiling hook. Mimi thanked him & went on to the freezer tucked into the back of the garage. She dug around for a while & then turned to the men. "Sora said the ice cream was in the freezer, but where is it?"

"Ice cream?" Tai said. "Damn, I forgot to pick up the ice cream. Matt, move you SUV so I can get my car out."

Matt dug into his pocket & tossed him a set of keys instead. "Use mine, we'll over for you."

"We?" Mimi asked as the SUV zoomed out of the driveway.

"Yeah, if you go back in without the ice cream, Sora will know Tai forgot it."

"And you think she won't figure that out anyway?"

"Besides, ice cream reminds me…I picked up the pictures of the kids." He pointed to a lightweight jacket tossed over the hood of Tai's car. "Take a look if you like."

_Keep it light, keep it casual_. Mimi picked up the jacket & took a package out of the pocket. His jacket still felt warm from his body heat, & she wanted to snuggle it close in her arms. Instead, she laid the jacket back on the car & opened the envelope.

Everything seemed brighter in the pictures than it was in her memory. She didn't remember the ice cream being quite so pink, or the twins' faces quite so intent. And she certainly didn't remember looking at Matt with quite that adoring expression in her eyes…but one of the shots caught the two of them standing on each side of the stroller, & the look on her face was embarrassingly intimate.

It was all the evidence necessary to prove that even before she realized it, she'd been falling in love. She shot a lance at Matt, who seemed absorbed in making the balloons, & slid that picture in the pocket of her jeans.

She sneaked another look at Matt & then took a second picture from the package & added it to her pocket. It was not, perhaps, the best photograph ever taken of Matt, since he was only in the background & the twins were the stars. But he was smiling…his eyes were gleaming…he looked eased & contented.

"Not bad," she said. She put the package back with his jacket, picked up a handful of limp balloons, & passed a red one to him. "I didn't buy a leash for the twins' gift after all.

"Then it's a good thing I didn't waste time looking at rhinestone dog collars."

"Actually, Ella would probably have liked one. She's getting serious into sparkly things."

Matt shuddered. "I thought girls waited till they were at least five to do that."

"I'm afraid they're born with it. How is Jun Motomiya's house doing?"

"It's all finished. We turned over the key last Friday." He looked at her almost curiously. "You haven't talked to her lately, have you?"

"No, Willis hasn't called me since the housewarming party, so I thought there was no point in pursuing Jun if she wanted to sell." Mimi forced her voice to stay steady. "After the way I dumped him, I can't say I'm surprised not to hear from him. But I must admit I wonder if that means he doesn't want the house anymore, or if he just found another real-estate person to act for him."

"I didn't give him your message that night," Matt said. "I took him back to the hotel instead. I figured it was the least I could do."

Mimi thought he was right on target there, since he was the one who caused all the trouble. She supposed it should be comforting to know that he learned something from the whole mess.

"Of course," Matt added meditatively, "he didn't stay there."

"Who? Willis? Where did he go?"

"Back to Jun's house. I'm not sure when he actually moved…but he's living there now."

Mimi's jaw dropped. "I had no idea he wanted that house _so_ badly." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "I mean…"

"That Jun would be no prize to live with? Neither is Willis, of course, but they seemed to be quite comfortable with each other. As long as we're talking about what happened at the party, Mimi…"

"Which party are you referring to?"

He didn't seem to hear the coldness in her voice. "You asked me why I did it…why I sent the dancers to Michael's bachelor party. But then you didn't want to listen to the answer."

"I don't have to hear it. You did it because you were curious. You just wanted to see what would happen if you prodded him."

"That's true, up to a point. But it's not the whole story."

"I don't see why you should tell me all about it now, when you didn't say a word about it for two fuckin' years, Matt."

"I did it," he said meditatively, "because I didn't think he was good enough for you. And I wondered whether he'd prove it, if he was offered enough temptation."

Mimi thought it over while he blew up to four balloons. It took that long for her to get herself under control, enough to trust her voice. "You thought Michael wasn't good enough for me?"

"That's what I said, yes."

_Maybe he really did care…at least a little._ "And what makes you think that's any of your business, Matt? You're surely not going to expect me to believe that you were interfering because you had some sort of wild secret infatuation with me." She was proud of herself…her voice held just the right tone of cynical sarcasm & right shade of disbelief. "Because you wanted me for yourself?"

"No, no, I didn't have a wild secret infatuation with you." He sounded very calm. Apparently, the accusation wasn't important enough…or ridiculous enough to get upset about.

Mimi's chest constricted until she could barely breathe. What a fool she was. Even as she told herself that he didn't care, she still allowed herself to hope that deep down he must have felt the tiniest spark of what she found in her heart for him. This must be why people spoke of their hopes being crushed…because that was exactly what it felt like when her hopes were smashed out of existence.

She said quietly, "You were right, Matt. You did me a favor. It was Michael's nature to cheat. If he hadn't had the opportunity at the bachelor party, he'd have found it at the country club, or at work, or in a friend's house." She swallowed hard. "Thank you. End of subject…all right?"

"No, it's not all right. You asked me why I did it. That was my reason…back then."

She closed her eyes in pain. "You know, it really isn't necessary to do a full autopsy on this thing, Matt."

"I wasn't even attracted to you. I was just interested."

Mimi's voice was taut. "Spare me the definitions, all right?"

"But when you started dating again within a week of breaking your engagement, I was more than interested, I was fascinated. Every time I saw you, you were with a different guy."

"I was playing the field," Mimi said crisply.

Matt shook his head. "No, you weren't. Playing the field means dating lots of people. But each time I ran across you, you were seeing only one guy…exclusively, & apparently very serious. It was like you were trying to work your way through the entire Odaiba phone book, one man at a time. For a while, I couldn't figure out what you were doing."

"I'm sure you're going to tell me what you decided, whether I want to hear it or not."

"You were serious about the man of the moment right up to a point where he got serious about you…and then you dump him. You were making sure no one could hurt you again the way Michael had."

He was only partly correct, Mimi thought. He was right that she dated only one guy at a time, but she hadn't been serious about any one of them. However, Matt's perception of what she was doing explained the way he had habitually surveyed her with mingled fascination & irony, & then turned his attention away as if he couldn't bear to look any longer.

"You might as well call me a man-eating shark & be done with it," she said.

"I thought that's what you were, but that week we spent with the babies…as I got to know you…the picture didn't fit with the label any more."

"Well, that's comforting," she said dryly.

"It was only then I admitted what was happening to me." He filled the last balloon, tied it into the bunch, & leaned against the fender of Tai's car. "Though I think it must have actually started happening way back when I met you & Michael and decided you didn't fit together."

Mimi's hand started to tremble. _Don't do this to yourself,_ she ordered._ You've gotten your hopes up before, only to have it smashed._

"For the last couple of weeks, I've thought about it a lot," Matt said quietly. "About whether I should just leave things alone & go back to the way it was. But I don't think I can. That night when I came into the house & you made dinner…you were lighting candles on the dining room table, & the candlelight glowed on your hair in such a strange way…For just an instant, it looked like you were wearing a wedding veil."

Mimi tried to hold back tears. He looked at her so oddly that night…and now she knew that no matter how innocent she told herself that dinner was, she had been trying to show him what he was missing. She already wanted more than just friendship. No wonder he suspected her of being manipulative. He understood what she was up to even better than Mimi herself had.

Matt mused, "And I realized that's why I'd been so certain from the beginning that you & Michael didn't fit together. It was because all along…I wanted you to fit with me."

Her throat was so tight she couldn't even speak, more or less make a noise.

"I was starting to think that maybe you felt the same way. That it wasn't just a matter of getting along for the sake of the babies…Until that day on the Plaza when we were in the carriage & you saw Joe & ducked down behind Nikko. You didn't want him to see you with me, did you?"

"No," she said. It was barely a croak. "I didn't."

Matt sighed. "I shouldn't have said anything at all, I suppose, because we can't exactly avoid these family occasions."

Mimi didn't say anything. She was trying her best to hold back her tears.

"I thought it would be better to bring it out in the open," he said. "But now I've just made things uncomfortable, haven't I…because I can't miss things like the twins' birthday, & I'm not asking you to stay away either. I'm sorry. I just hoped… There's one more thing I have to know, Mimi, & then I'll shut up. Which picture did you take out of the package just now?"

The question was so unexpected that before she realized it, Mimi tripped herself up. "How did you know I… You weren't even looking this direction!"

"I don't have to look," he said quietly. "When you're anywhere around, I know what you're doing."

She was shaking so much now that she couldn't get hold of the pictures in her pocket. Finally she gave up & braced her hands against the car to lessen the trembling. "I didn't want Joe to see us together that day," she said. "But not because I was ashamed of being with you, Matt. It was because I didn't want him to spoil the magic by getting possessive & asking questions."

"He was getting serious about you."

She nodded. "Yes, but you're wrong about my reasons, Matt. I wasn't trying to get even with Michael. I wasn't serious about any of those guys. I just made it look that way when you were around, because…because I didn't wasn't you to think I was at loose ends. You were always with one of your girlfriends…& I didn't want you to know…" She swallowed hard. _Now or never_, she told herself & looked straight at him. "I didn't want you to know that even then, I was waiting for _you_. Because if you knew I was free…& you didn't care…"

Before she could finish the sentence, he pulled her away from the car, & she was in his arms.

"It was easier just to pretend that your girlfriends didn't matter," she whispered.

"But they didn't matter, baby. They were only a distraction, that's all." He seemed to decide that action was better than explanation, & his mouth came down to hers…hard, possessive, intimate, & yet with a gentle understanding that rocked her more than pure passion could ever have done.

Even when he stopped kissing her, he didn't relax his hold, & Mimi was glad of it, for she suspected she couldn't stand on her own. "What about Ingrid?"

"Ingrid?" His voice had a sandpapery edge to it. "You mean Ingrid Anderson? Did she bother you?"

"Of course not," Mimi said tartly.

Matt grinned. "Right, she bothered me, too. We were supposed to have business lunch with her husband that day to discuss my plans to build their new house, but after that performance in my office I decided not to go after the job. Of course, after Nikko chewed up their floor plans, I might not have gotten it anyway."

Mimi's jaw dropped. "But you acted as if…"

"Well, of course, I did," Matt said. "If a gorgeous woman flings herself at me in front of the one I'm trying to make jealous, I'm going to play it for all it's…"

She drew back & made a face at him.

Matt laughed & pulled her closer. "Show me the pictures in your pocket," he whispered.

She pulled the two photos out. Matt took them, keeping one arm around her as he held the pictures at arm's length. "Interesting choice, babe. I particularly like this one f you…I ordered an enlargement of that one already. But I think we can do better."

"Oh?"

"Yes, white gown, tuxedo, flowers instead of ice cream cones…Marry me, Mimi?"

"I'll have to think about it," Mimi said simply. "For one thing, I don't think I can handle…"

"We did pretty well with the twins. Just think what we'd accomplish with regular practice."

"That's true," she took a deep breath. "All right, I'll take a chance on you."

"Good, let's go announce it. Nikko & Ella won't care if we trump their birthday party, as long as we promise they can smear cake all over our wedding, too."

But Mimi didn't move. She smiled & pulled him for a kiss, taking advantage of the freedom to hold him…to kiss him.

"Well, I guess there's no real hurry about spreading the news," Matt said huskily.

It was the sound of an approaching vehicle which drew them back to the present. The SUV pulled into the driveway & Tai got out, cradling two half-gallons of ice cream in one arm, his other hand at his brow, shading his eyes as he stared into the shadow of the garage. He looked stunned.

The back door banged & Sora came out. "Tai, darling! You'll never guess what just happened!"

"Now wait a minute," Matt groaned. "How on earth could she possibly know…?"

"A courier just made a special delivery," Sora gasped. "Because of the mess-up on our cruise, they've given us another one to make up for it. Can you believe it? Matt? Mimi? Any chance you two would agree to baby-sit again? Tai, what on earth are you goggling at?"

Tai didn't answer. He just pointed at the garage, where Matt & Mimi were still standing in each other's arms.

Sora turned toward the garage, took a long look, & smiled. "Well, it's about time you two came to your senses."

Matt moved a little. "Thank you," he said. "And as for you question, Sora, the answer is no. At least not until we've had a cruise of our own. Talk to us again after the honeymoon."

And he drew Mimi close once more, claiming her lips, & shutting out the world.

**..: The End :..**

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AN: To all my readers, thank you so much! I'm very grateful to all of you, especially my loyal fans (you know who you are.) Hopefully I'll be seeing all of you again in my next story: **Bet Gone Wrong**, coming up next week! I love you all! – Paola :)

**Koumi** – you were the one who gave me my first review in this story, & even though you don't like me…& most of the Mimato fans…I still wanna thank you. **Dark's Assassin & Assassin's Partner** – I think you guys are so cool & you have a kick-ass name! Thank you for everything! **Just4reviews** – one of my loyal readers! Hope to see you in my next story. **BetterDeadThanAlone** – I'm always excited to read your reviews. You make me laugh always! Thank you, thank you! **Pink-writer** – you've been an awesome reader of this story, & I wanna thank you for being such a great fan! **LuckyStar17, Xymi Angel Ghost, Kaye, seal-chan, Tierra, Anarchy & Blood, Yen, ellamoony, Hikari-Kawaii, satarow-raven, sashimi, mystic, Yes, Jyoura-Crip **– thank you for all the review!** Angel, Janay, Riven, MaRoNcOoL, hesitate, crescentmoon-cat** – it's great to see your names on both my stories. You guys are the best forever! I Love You All! I'll see you in my next story, then, all right.

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"**Bet Gone Wrong"**

"_You've had a lot of crazy ideas in your time, but this one definitely gets the award."_

_He folded his arms across his chest & waited._

"_I mean, you & me…a couple? Who's gonna believe that?"_

_He sighed. "Mimi…"_

"_And to suggest that we'd ever be able to fool anyone…I mean, there are days we have difficulty just getting on well enough to still like each other as friends!" She started pacing in front of him._

_He sighed again. "If you'd just…"_

"_We'd have to be able to look at each other without sniggering every two minutes. And as for the kissing thing…" She stopped pacing long enough to waggle a finger at him. "You do realize if we were actually dating we'd be expected to kiss &…well, other stuff like that…"_

_There was a deadly silence as they stared at each other in shock. Matt swallowed hard. "I know that…"_


End file.
